. 


■ 


~ 

. 


- ■ ■ -i 


THE 


ART  OF  BEAUTIFYING 

SUBURBAN  HOME  GROUNDS 


OF  SMALL  EXTENT. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  UPWARD  OF  TWO  HUNDRED 

PLATES  AND  ENGRAVINGS 

OF  PLANS  FOR  RESIDENCES  AND  THEIR  GROUNDS,  OF  TREES  AND  SHRUBS,  AND 
GARDEN  EMBELLISHMENTS  ; 


WITH  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  BEAUTIFUL  AND  HARDY 

TREES  AND  SHRUBS 

GROWN  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


BY 

FRANK  J.  SCOTT. 


NEW  YORK: 

AMERICAN  BOOK  EXCHANGE, 
Tribune  Building, 
i 88 1. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870,  by 
FRANK  J.  SCOTT, 

In  the  Clerk’s  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of 

New  York. 


7it/  tm/iuc/al,  Mti-  Mod  ts  detMca/et/.  mM  oJt 

' ' Jj 

/o  ie7?io/nidia/7ice,  M /do  au/dol. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

SUBURBAN  HOME  GROUNDS. 


Introduction, 

f 

• » 

I’ AGE 

. II 

CHAPTER 

I. 

Art  and  Nature, 

• # 

• *5 

CHAPTER 

II. 

Decorative  Planting — What  Constitutes  It, 

17 

CHAPTER 

III. 

What  Kind  of  Home  Grounds  will  best  suit  Business 

Men,  and  their  Cost,  . . . * .20 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Suburban  Neighborhoods  compared  with  Country 

Places,  ......  26 


CHAPTER  V. 


Building  Sites  and  Ground  Surfaces,  . 


32 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PAGE 

Dwellings,  Outbuildings,  and  Fences,  . . 45 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Neighboring  Improvements,  . . . .60 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Materials  Used  in  Decorative  Planting,  . . 70 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Faults  to  Avoid — Plan  before  Planting,  • • 75 

CHAPTER  X. 

Walks  and  Roads,  • 85 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Arrangement  in  Planting,  . . . .92 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Relative  Importance  of  Lawn,  Trees,  Shrubs,  Flowers, 
and  Constructive  Decorations  in  the  Develop- 
ment of  Home  Pictures,  ....  102 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Lawn,  ......  107 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Artificial  Adaptations  of  Shrubs  and  Trees,  . 112 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Vll 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Plans  of  Residences  and  Grounds, 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Renovation  of  Old  Places, 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Flowers  and  Bedding  Plants  and  their  Settings, 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Philosophy  of  Deep  Drainage  and  Cultivation  in 
their  Relation  to  the  Growth  of  Trees,  and  the 
Successful  Culture  of  those  which  are  Half- 

hardy  ; TOGETHER  WITH  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  PROTECTING 

Young  Trees  in  Winter  and  Summer,  . 


PART  II. 

TREES , SHRUBS  AND  VINES. 
CHAPTER  I. 

A Comparison  of  the  Characteristics  of  Trees, 

CHAPTER  II. 

Descriptions  and  Order  of  Arrangement,  . 

CHAPTER  III. 


PAGE 

131 


238 


246 


264 


277 


299 


Deciduous  Trees, 


302 


viii 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Deciduous  Shrubs, 


PAGE 

455 


CHAPTER  V. 

Evergreen  Trees  and  Shrubs,  . . * *514 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Vines  and  Creepers,  .....  592 


Appendix,  . . . . • • .601 


Index. 


606 


€<B 


A KEY  TO  THE  SYMBOLS  USED  m THE  FOLLOWING 

Open  fence  on  street  lines 

— Close  hi£>h  fence,  or  wall 

Lis^ht  wire  fence,  or  no  fence  at  all 

Road*  and  Walk  lines 

H Beds  of  qi'.iLe  low  annuals  or  perennials 
$£■$:■}  Flowering  plants  , 18  inches  high  and  u/jivar/is 


111 

? 

<8> 

£> 

0 


Rose  bods 


Street  trees  (0)  Vase  with  base 


Tilled  ground 
Vegetables 


Rustic  Vase 


A 

e 

V 

. 0 

Q, 

i 


Deciduous  trees  branching  high  enough  to  allow  a clear  view 
under  their  branches 

Pine  tree 

Arbor  Vitaes  and  Cedars 
Spruce  Firs  Hemlocks  &c. 

Small  deciduous  trees 

Shrubbery 

Apple  tree 
Cherry  tree 
Standard  Pear  tree 
Peach  tree 
Plum  tree 
Quince  tree 

Grape  tree,  or  vine  on  stake 
. . Grape  Trellis 


L A Dwarf"  Pear  tree  1 


Grape  Arbor 


f 


PART  I. 

Suburban  Home  Grounds. 


* 


INTRODUCTION. 


“The  landscape,  forever  consoling  and  kind, 

Pours  her  wine  and  her  oil  on  the  smarts  of  the  mind.” 

Lowell. 

THE  aim  of  this  work  is  to  aid  persons  of  moderate 
income,  who  know  little  of  the  arts  of  decorative  garden- 
ing, to  beautify  their  homes  ; to  suggest  and  illustrate 
the  simple  means  with  which  beautiful  home-surround- 
.ings  may  be  realized  on  small  grounds,  and  with  little  cost ; and 
thus  to  assist  in  giving  an  intelligent  direction  to  the  desires,  and 
a satisfactory  result  for  the  labors  of  those  who  are  engaged  in 
embellishing  homes,  as  well  as  those  whose  imaginations  are  warm 
with  the  hopes  of  homes  that  are  yet  to  be. 

It  is  more  than  twenty  years  since  the  poetical  life  and  pen  of 


12 


I NT  R 0 D UC  TI  0 N. 


A.  J.  Downing  warmed  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  to  a new  love 
and  zest  for  rural  culture.  In  the  department  of  suburban 
architecture,  the  work  so  charmingly  begun  by  him  has  been 
carried  forward  by  Vaux  and  a host  of  others,  whose  works  are 
constantly  appearing.  But  in  the  specialty  of  decorative  gardening, 
adapted  to  the  small  grounds  of  most  suburban  homes,  there  is 
much  need  of  other  works  than  have  yet  appeared.  Downing  had 
begun  in  the  books  entitled  “Cottage  Residences  and  Cottage 
Grounds  ” and  “ Country  Houses,”  to  cover  this  subject  in  his 
peculiarly  graceful  as  well  as  sensible  style ; but  death  robbed  us 
of  his  pleasant  genius  in  the  prime  of  its  usefulness.  Since  his 
time  many  useful  works  have  appeared  on  one  or  another  branch 
of  gardening  art ; but  not  one  has  been  devoted  entirely  to  the 
arts  of  suburban-home  embellishment.  The  subject  is  usually 
approached,  as  it  were,  sideways — as  a branch  of  other  subjects, 
architectural,  agricultural,  and  horticultural — and  not  as  an  art 
distinct  from  great  landscape-gardening,  and  not  embraced  in  flori- 
culture, vegetable  gardening,  and  pomology.  The  busy  pen  of  the 
accomplished  Donald  G.  Mitchell  has  treated  of  farm  embellish- 
ment with  an  admirable  blending  of  farmer-experience  and  a poet’s 
culture  ; but  he  has  given  the  farm,  more  than  the  citizen’s  subur- 
ban lot,  the  benefit  of  his  suggestions.  Copeland’s  “Country 
Life  ” is  a hand-book  grown  almost  into  an  encyclopaedia  of  garden 
and  farm  work,  full  of  matter  giving  it  great  value  to  the  farmer 
and  horticulturist.  Other  works,  too  numerous  to  mention,  of 
special  horticultural  studies,  as  well  as  valuable  horticultural  an- 
nuals, have  served  to  whet  a taste  for  the  arts  of  planning  as  well  as 
planting.  Some  of  them  cover  interesting  specialties  of  decorative 
gardening.  It  is  a hopeful  sign  of  intelligence  when  any  art  or 
science  divides  into  many  branches,  and  each  becomes  a subject 
for  special  treatises.  But  books  which  treat,  each,  of  some  one 
department  of  decorative  gardening,  should  follow,  rather  than 
precede,  a knowledge  of  the  arts  of  arrangement , by  which,  alone, 
all  are  combined  to  produce  harmonious  home-pictures ; and  for 
precisely  the  same  reason  that  it  is  always  best  to  plan  one’s  house 
before  selecting  the  furniture — which,  however  good  in  itself,  may 
not  otherwise  suit  the  place  where  it  must  be  used. 


I N T R O D U CTI  0 N . 


13 


The  term  landscape-gardening  is  misapplied  when  used  in 
connection  with  the  improvement  of  a few  roods  of  suburban 
ground  ; and  we  disavow  any  claim,  for  this  work,  to  treat  of 
landscape-gardening  on  that  large  scale,  or  in  the  thorough  and 
exhaustive  manner  in  which  it  is  handled  by  the  masters  of  the  art 
in  England,  and  by  Downing  for  this  country.  Compared  with  the 
English  we  are  yet  novices  in  the  fine  arts  of  gardening,  and  the 
exquisite  rural  taste  even  among  the  poorer  classes  of  England, 
which  inspired  glowing  eulogiums  from  the  pen  of  Washington 
Irving  thirty  years  ago,  is  still  as  far  in  advance  of  our  own  as  at 
that  time.  British  literature  abounds  in  admirable  works  on  all 
branches  of  gardening  arts.  Loudon’s  energy  and  exhaustive  in- 
dustry seem  to  have  collected,  digested,  and  illustrated,  almost 
everything  worth  knowing  in  the  arts  of  gardening.  But  his  works 
are  too  voluminous,  too  thorough,  too  English,  to  meet  the  needs 
of  American  suburban  life.  Kemp,  in  a complete  little  volume  en- 
titled “ How  to  lay  out  a Garden,”  has  condensed  all  that  is  most 
essential  on  the  subject  for  England.  But  the  arrangements  of 
American  suburban  homes  of  the  average  character  differ  so  widely 
from  those  of  the  English,  and  our  climate  also  varies  so  essen- 
tially from  theirs,  that  plans  of  houses  and  grounds  suitable  there 
are  not  often  adapted  to  our  wants.  There  is  an  extent  and 
thoroughness  in  their  out-buildings,  and  arrangements  for  man- 
servants  and  maid-servants  and  domestic  animals,  which  the  great 
cost  of  labor  in  this  country  forces  us  to  condense  or  dispense 
with.  Public  and  private  examples  of  landscape-gardening  on  a 
grand  scale  begin  to  familiarize  Americans  with  the  art.  The  best 
cemeteries  of  our  great  cities  are  renowned  even  in  Europe  for 
their  tasteful  keeping.  But  more  than  all  other  causes,  that  won- 
derful creation,  the  New  York  Central  Park,  has  illustrated  the 
power  of  public  money  in  the  hands  of  men  of  tasteful  genius  to  re- 
produce, as  if  by  magic,  the  gardening  glories  of  older  lands.  But 
public  parks,  however  desirable  and  charming,  are  not  substitutes 
for  beautiful  Homes  ; and  with  observation  of  such  public  works, 
and  of  examples  of  tasteful  but  very  costly  private  grounds  in  many 
parts  of  the  country,  there  comes  an  increasing  need  of  practical 
works  to  epitomize  and  Americanize  the  principles  of  decorative 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

gardening,  to  illustrate  their  application  to  small  grounds , and  to 
effect  in  miniature , and  around  ordinary  homes,  some  of  their  love- 
liest results.  Some  of  the  most  prized  pictures  of  great  landscape 
painters  are  scenes  that  lie  close  to  the  eye  ; which  derive  little  of 
their  beauty  from  breadth  of  view,  or  variety  of  objects ; and  yet 
they  may  be  marvels  of  lovely  or  picturesque  beauty.  The  half- 
acre of  a suburban  cottage  (if  the  house  itself  is  what  it  should  be) 
may  be  as  perfect  a work  of  art,  and  as  well  worth  transferring  to 
canvas  as  any  part  of  the  great  Chatsworth  of  the  Duke  of 
Devonshire. 

Of  the  millions  of  America’s  busy  men  and  women,  a large 
proportion  desire  around  their  homes  the  greatest  amount  of  beauty 
which  their  means  will  enable  them  to  maintain ; and  the  minimum 
of  expense  and  care  that  will  secure  it.  It  is  for  these  that 
this  work  has  been  prepared.  It  is  not  designed  for  the  very 
wealthy,  nor  for  the  poor,  but  principally  for  that  great  class  of 
towns-people  whose  daily  business  away  from  their  homes  is  a 
necessity,  and  who  appreciate  more  than  the  very  rich,  or  the 
poor,  all  the  heart’s  cheer,  the  -refined  pleasures,  and  the  beauty 
that  should  attach  to  a suburban  home. 

In  planning  home-grounds,  a familiarity  with  the  materials  from 
which  the  planter  must  choose  is  requisite  to  successdn  producing 
a desired  effect.  This  work,  therefore,  embraces  descriptions  and 
many  illustrations  of  trees  and  shrubs ; and  is  intended  to  be  full 
in  those  matters  which  are  of  most  interest  to  unscientific  lovers  of 
nature  and  rural  art,  in  their  efforts  to  create  home  beauty ; — such 
as  the  expression  of  trees  and  shrubs,  as  produced  by  their  sizes, 
forms,  colors,  leaves,  flowers,  and  general  structure,  quite  inde- 
pendent of  their  characteristics  as  noted  by  the  botanist.  The 
botanical  information  incidentally  conveyed  in  the  names  and 
descriptions  of  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers,  has  been  drawn,  it  is 
hoped,  from  the  best  authorities ; but,  for  any  errors  that  may  be 
found  in  them,  the  author  asks  the  kind  indulgence  of  the  more 
scientific  reader. 


/ 


- “ All  nature  is  but  art  unknown  to  thee  ; 

All  chance,  direction  which  thou  canst  not  see.” 

Pope. 

HE  prevalent  idea  that  the  best 
decorative  gardening  is  simply 
an  imitation  of  pleasing  natural 
* scenery,  is  partially  incorrect.  If 

an  imitation  of  Nature  were  the  only  aim, 
if  she  were  simply  to  be  let  alone,  or  repeated,  then  a prairie, 
a wild  forest,  an  oak-opening,  a jungle,  or  a rocky  scene,  would 
only  need  to  be  inclosed  to  seem  a perfect  example  of  landscape 
gardening.  All  these  forms  of  Nature  have  their  peculiar  beauties, 
and  yet  these  very  beauties,  when  brought  into  connection  with  our 
dwellings,  are  as  incongruous  as  the  picturesqueness  of  savage 
human  life  in  streets  or  parlors.  All  civilization  is  marked  by  the 


16 


ART  AND  NATURE. 


touch  of  the  arts  which  have  subjugated  the  ruder  elements  in 
human  and  vegetable  nature  to  mould  and  re-arrange  them.  We 
are  not  made  to  be  content  on  nature’s  lower  levels;  for  that  spaik 
of  divinity  within  us — Imagination — suggests  to  us  progress  and 
improvement,  and  these  are  no  less  natural  than  existence.  The 
arts  which  make  life  beautiful  are*those  that  graft  upon  the  wildings 
of  nature  the  refinements  and  harmonies  which  the  Deity  through 
the  imagination  is  ever  suggesting  to  us. 

Decorative  gardening  had  reached  a high  degree  of  perfection 
among  ancient  nations  before  the  art  now  known  as  Landscape 
Gardening  had  its  origin,  or  rather  the  beautiful  development  which 
it  has  reached  in  England  within  the  last  three  centuries.  The  art 
which  reproduces  the  wildness  of  rude  nature,  and  that  which 
softens  the  rudeness  and  creates  polished  beauty  in  its  place,  are 
equally  arts  of  gardening.  So  too  are  the  further  arts  by  which 
plants  and  trees  are  moulded  into  unusual  forms,  and  blended  by 
studied  symmetries  with  the  purely  artificial  works  of  architecture. 
All  are  legitimate,  and  no  one  style  may  say  to  another,  “ Thou  art 
false  because  thou  hast  no  prototype  in  nature,”  since  our  dwellings 
and  all  the  conveniences  of  civilized  life  would  be  equally  false  if 
judged  by  that  standard.  However  diverse  the  modes  of  decora- 
tive gardening  in  different  countries,  all  represent  some  ideal  form 
of  beauty,  and  illustrate  that  diversity  of  human  tastes  which  is  not 
less  admirable  than  the  diversity  of  productions  in  vegetable  nature. 

That  may  be  considered  good  gardening  around  suburban 
homes  which  renders  the  dwelling  the  central  interest  of  a picture, 
which  suggests  an  intention  to  produce  a certain  type  of  embellish- 
ment, and  which  harmoniously  realizes  the  type  intended,  whether 
it  be  a tree-flecked  meadow,  a forest  glade,  a copse  belted  lawn,  a 
formal  old  French  garden,  a brilliant  parterre,  or  a general  blend- 
ing of  artfully  grown  sylvan  and  floral  vegetation  with  architectural 
forms. 

Not  to  reproduce  the  rudeness  of  Nature,  therefore,  but  to 
adapt  her  to  our  civilized  necessities,  to  idealize  and  improve, 
to  condense  and  appropriate  her  beauties,  to  eliminate  the  dross 
from  her  vegetable  jewels,  and  give  them  worthy  setting’ — these  are 
the  aims  of  Decorative  Gardening. 


CHAPTER  I I. 

DECORATIVE  PL  ANTING  — WHAT  CONSTITUTES  IT? 

“ He  who  sees  my  park,  sees  into  my  heart !” — Prince  Puckler  to  Bettina  Von  Arnim. 

THE  objects  sought  in  Decorative  Planting  are  various. 

The  simple  pleasure  of  working  among  and  developing 
beautiful  natural  productions  is  one ; the  desire  to  make 
one’s  place  elegant  and  attractive  to  other’s  eyes,  and 
therefore  a source  of  pride  to  the  possessor,  is  also  one  of  the 
strongest  objects  with  many.  To  have  a notably  large  variety  of 
flowers,  shrubs,  or  trees,  is  a very  common  form  of  planting  enthu- 
siasm ; and  the  passion  for  some  special  and  complete  display  of 
certain  species  of  flowers  (florists’  hobbies)  is  another.  Finally, 
and  highest  of  all,  is  the  appreciation  of,  and  desire  to  create  with  ver- 
dant Nature , chaining  effects  of  sunlight  and  shadow , or  lovely  exam- 
2 


18 


DECORATIVE  PLANTING. 


pies , in  miniature,  of  what  we  call  landscapes.  Decorative  Planting 
should  have  for  its  highest  aim  the  beautifying  of  Home.  In  coni' 
bination  with  domestic  architecture,  it  should  make  every  man’s 
home  a beautiful  picture.  As  skillful  stonecutting,  or  bricklaying, 
or  working  in  wood,  does  not  make  of  the  artisan  an  architect,  or 
his  work  a fine  art,  so  the  love  of  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers,  and 
their  skillful  cultivation,  is  but  handling  the  tools  of  the  landscape 
gardener — it  is  not  gardening,  in  its  most  beautiful  meaning.  The 
garden  of  the  slothful,  overgrown  with  weeds  and  brambles,  could 
not  have  been  much  more  ugly  to  look  upon  than  many  flower- 
gardens,  in  which  the  whole  area  is  a wilderness  of  annuals  and 
perennials,  of  all  sorts  and  sizes  and  conditions  of  life,  full  of  beau- 
tiful bloom  if  we  examine  them  in  detail,  and  yet,  as  a whole,  re- 
pulsive to  refined  eyes  as  a cob-webbed  old  furniture  museum, 
crammed  with  heterogeneous  beauties  and  utilities.  Such  gardens 
cannot  be  called  decorative  planting.  They  are  merely  bouquet 
nurseries  of  the  lowest  class,  or  botanical  museums.  Neither  The 
loveliness  of  flowers,  nor  the  beauties  of  trees  and  shrubs,  alone, 
will  make  a truly  beautiful  place,  unless  arranged  so  that  the  spe- 
cial beauty  of  trees,  plants,  and  flowers  is  subordinated  to  the  gen- 
eral effect.  An  attempt  to  make  good  pictures  by  hap-hazard 
applications  to  the  canvas  of  the  finest  paint  colors,  is  not  much 
more  sure  to  result  in  failure  than  the  usual  mode  of  filling  yards 
with  choice  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers.  It  is  as  easy  to  spoil  a 
place  with  too  many  flowers  as  to  mar  good  food  with  a superfluity 
of  condiments.  The  same  may  be  said  of  a medley  plantation  of 
the  finest  trees  or  shrubs.  Numbers  will  not  make  great  beauty 
or  variety ; on  the  contrary,  they  will  often  destroy  both.  That  is 
the  best  art  which  produces  the  most  pleasing  pictures  with  the 
fewest  materials.  Milton,  in  two  short  lines,  thus  paints  a home: 

“ Hard  by  a cottage  chimney  smokes, 

From  between  two  aged  oaks.”  v 

Here  is  a picture ; two  trees,  a cottage,  and  green  sward — these 
are  all  the  materials.  Unfortunately  the  “two  aged  oaks,”  or  their 
equivalents,  are  not  at  hand  for  all  our  homes. 

Has  the  reader  ever  noticed  some  remarkably  pleasant  old 


DECORATIVE  PLANTING. 


19 


home,  where  little  care  seemed  taken  to  make  it  so ; and  yet  with 
* an  air  of  comfort,  and  even  elegance,  that  others,  with  wealth  lav- 
ished upon  them,  and  a professional  gardener  in  constant  employ, 
with  flowers,  and  shrubs,  and  trees  in  profusion,  yet  all  failing  to 
convey  the  same  impression  of  a pleasant  home  ? Be  assured  that 
the  former  (though  by  accident  it  may  be)  is  the  better  model  of 
the  two.  A well-cut  lawn,  a few  fine  trees,  a shady  back-ground 
with  comfortable-looking  out-buildings,  are  the  essentials ; and 
walks,  shrubs,  and  flowers,  only  the  embellishments  and  finishing 
touches  of  the  picture.  Only  the  finishing  touches — but  what  a 
charm  of  added  expression  and  beauty  there  may  be  in  those  per- 
fecting strokes ! How  a verdant  gate-way  arch  frames  the  common 
walk  into  a picture  view ; how  a long  opening  of  lawn  gives  play- 
room for  the  sunlight  to  smile  and  hide  among  the  shadows  of  bor- 
dering shrubs  and  trees ; how  an  opening  here,  in  the  shrubs, 
reveals  a pretty  neighborhood  vista  ; how  a flower-bed  there, 
brightens  the  lawn  like  a smile  on  the  face  of  beauty ; how  a swing 
suspended  from  the  strong,  outstretched  arm  of  a noble  tree  attracts 
the  children,  whose  ever-changing  groups  engage  the  eye  and  inter- 
est the  heart;  how  a delicate  foliaged  tree,  planted  on  yonder  mar- 
gin, glows  with  the  light  of  the  afternoon  sun,  or  with  airy  undula- 
tions trembles  against  the  twilight  sky,  till  it  seems  neither  of  the 
earth  or  the  sky,  but  a spirit  of  life  tvavering  between  earth  and 
heaven ! 

Let  us,  then,  define  Decorative  Planting  to  be  the  art  of  pic- 
ture making  and  picture  framing,  by  means  of  the  varied  forms  of 
vegetable  growth. 


CHAPTER  I I I. 

WHAT  KIND  OF  HOME  GROUNDS  WILL  BEST  SUIT  BUSINESS  MEN, 
AND  THEIR  COST. 


“ Nature  is  immovable  and  yet  mobile ; that  is  her  eternal  charm.  Her  unwearied  activity, 
her  ever-shifting  phantasmagoria,  do  not  weary,  do  not  disturb ; this  harmonious  motion  bears  in 
itself  a profound  repose.” — Madame  Michelet. 

IT  is  always  a difficult  matter  to  keep  the  happy  medium  be- 
tween extravagance  and  parsimony.  This  uncertainty  will 
be  felt  by  every  business  man  of  moderate  means  who  begins 


FOR  BUSINESS  MEN . 


21 


the  expenditures  about  a suburban  home.  All  men,  who  are  not 
either  devoid  of  fine  tastes,  or  miserly,  desire  to  have  as  much 
beauty  around  them  as  they  can  pay  for  and  maintain  ; but  few 
persons  are  familiar  with  the  means  which  will  gratify  this  desire 
with  least  strain  on  the  purse.  Two  men  of  equal  means,  with 
similar  houses  and  grounds  to  begin  with,  will  often  show  most 
diverse  results  for  their  expenditures ; one  place  soon  becoming 
home-like,  quiet,  and  elegant  in  its  expression,  and  the  other  fussy, 
cluttered,  and  unsatisfactory.  The  latter  has  probably  cost  the 
most  money ; it  may  have  the  most  trees,  and  the  rarest  flowers ; 
more  rustic  work,  and  vases,  and  statuary ; but  the  true  effect  of  all 
is  wanting.  The  difference  between  the  two  places  is  like  that 
between  the  sketch  of  a trained  artist,  who  has  his  work  distinctly 
in  his  mind  before  attempting  to  represent  it,  and  then  sketches  it 
in  simple,  clear  outlines ; and  the  untutored  beginner,  whose  abun- 
dance of  ideas  are  of  so  little  service  to  him  that  he  draws,  and 
re-draws,  and  rubs  out  again,  till  it  can  hardly  be  told  whether  it  is 
a horse  or  a cloud  that  is  attempted.  If  the  reader  has  any  doubt 
of  his  own  ability  to  arrange  his  home  grounds  with  the  least  waste 
expenditure,  he  should  ask  some  friend,  whose  good  taste  has  been 
proved  by  trial,  to  commend  him  to  some  sensible  and  experienced 
designer  of  home-grounds. 

It  may  be  set  down  as  a fair  approximation  of  the  expense  of 
good  ground  improvements,  that  they  will  require  about  one-tenth 
of  the  whole  cost  of  the  buildings.  Premising  that  the  erection  of 
the  dwelling  generally  precedes  the  principal  expenses  of  beauti- 
fying the  grounds,  this  amount  will  be  required  during  the  two 
years  following  the  completion  of  the  house.  If  the  land  must  be 
cleared  of  rocks,  or  much  graded,  or  should  require  an  unusually 
thorough  system  of  tile-drainage,  that  proportion  might  be  insuffi- 
cient ; but  if  the  ground  to  be  improved  is  in  good  shape,  well 
drained,  rich,  and  furnished  with  trees,  a very  much  smaller  pro- 
portion might  be  enough ; and  almost  the  only  needful  expense, 
would  be  that  which  would  procure  the  advice  and  direction  of 
some  judicious  landscape  gardener.  As  a good  lawyer  often  best 
earns  his  retainer  by  advising  against  litigation,  so  a master  of 


22 


HOME  GEO UND S 


gardenesque  art  may  often  save  a proprietor  enough,  to  pay  for  all 
that  will  be  needed,  by  advising  him  what  not  to  attempt. 

But  it  is  on  bare,  new  grounds,  that  there  will  be  most  room  for 
doubt  of  what  to  attempt.  The  man  who  must  leave  his  home 
after  an  early  breakfast  to  attend  to  his  office  or  store  business, 
and  who  only  returns  to  dinner  and  tea,  must  not  be  beguiled  into 
paying  for  the  floral  and  arboricultural  rarities  that  professional 
florists  and  tree-growers  grow  enthusiastic  over,  unless  the  home 
members  of  his  family  are  appreciative  amateurs  in  such  things. 
Tired  with  town  labor,  his  home  must  be  to  him  a haven  of  repose. 
Gardeners’  bills  are  no  pleasanter  to  pay  than  butchers’  and  tai- 
lors’ bills,  and  the  satisfaction  of  paying  either  depends  on  the 
amount  of  pleasure  received,  or  hoped  to  be  received,  from  the 
things  paid  for.  A velvety  lawn,  flecked  with  sunlight  and  the 
shadows  of  common  trees,  is  a very  inexpensive,  and  may  be  a 
very  elegant  refreshment  for  the  business-wearied  eye ; and  the 
manner  in  which  it  is  kept  will  affect  the  mind  in  the  same  way  as 
the  ill  or  well-ordered  house-keeping  of  the  wife.  But  the  beauties 
and  varied  peculiarities  of  a fine  collection  of  trees,  shrubs,  and 
flowers  require  a higher  culture  of  the  taste,  and  more  leisure  for 
observation,  than  most  business  men  have.  All  women  are  lovers 
of  flowers,  but  few  American  ladies  are  yet  educated  in  that  higher 
garden  culture — the  art  of  making  pictures  with  trees , lawn , and 
flowers.  Without  this  culture,  or  a strong  desire  for  it,  it  is  best 
that  the  more  elegant  forms  of  gardening  art  should  be  dispensed 
with,  and  only  simple  effects  attempted.  Now  a freshly  mown 
meadow  is  always  beautiful,  and  a well-kept  lawn  alone  produces 
that  kind  of  beauty.  But  the  meadow  or  lawn,  without  a tree,  is 
tame  and  monotonous.  Large  trees  are  necessary  to  enliven  their 
beauty.  A well-built  house,  with  broad  porch  or  veranda,  may  ena- 
ble one  to  get  along  very  comfortably  without  the  shade  of  trees  to 
protect  its  inmates  from  the  excessive  heat  of  the  sun ; but  the  play 
of  light  and  shade  in  the  foliage  of  trees,  and  upon  the  lawn,  is  as 
needful  food  for  the  eye  as  the  sunny  gayety  of  children  is  to  the 
heart.  These  two  things,  then,  are  the  most  e'ssential  to  the  busi- 
ness man’s  home — a fine  lawn  and  large  trees.  The  former  may  be 
produced  in  a year ; the  latter  must  be  bought  ready  grown  on  the 


FOR  BUSINESS  MEN. 


23 


ground.  No  amount  of  money  spent  at  nurseries  will  give,  in 
twenty  years,  the  dignified  beauty  of  effect  that  a few  fine  old  trees 
will  realize  as  soon  as  your  house  and  lawn  are  completed. 

But,  unfortunately,  the  mass  of  men  are  obliged  by  business 
necessities,  or  other  circumstances  which  are  imperative,  to  build 
on  sites  not  blessed  with  large  trees.  To  enable  them  to  make  the 
most  of  such  places-,  it  is  hoped  that  the  succeeding  chapters  will 
point  the  way. 

There  is  one  hobby  connected  with  removing  from  a city  house 
to  one  “with  some  ground  around  it,”  which  has  been  happily  cari- 
catured by  some  modern  authors.  We  refer  to  the  enthusiastic 
longing  for  fresh  vegetables  “of  our  own  raising.”  A wealthy  citi- 
zen, who  had  been  seyerely  seized  with  some  of  these  horticultural 
fevers,  invited  friends  to  dine  with  him  at  his  country-seat.  The 
friends  complimented  his  delicious  green  corn.  “It  is  capital, 
I’m  glad  you  appreciate  it,”  said  he  ; “it  is  from  my  own  grounds, 
and  by  a calculation  made  a few  days  since  I find  that  the  season’s 
crop  will  cost  me  only  ten  dollars  an  ear.”  Certainly  this  is  an 
extreme  case ; but  among  the  expensive  luxuries  for  a business 
man’s  home  a large  kitchen  garden  is  one  of  the  most  costly. 
Grass,  and  trees,  and  flowers,  give  daily  returns  in  food  for  our  eyes, 
seven  months  of  the  year,  and  cost  less ; yet  many  good  housewives 
and  masters  spend  more  in  growing  radishes,  lettuce,  peas,  beans, 
and  even  such  cheap  things  as  cabbages  and  potatoes,  than  it 
would  cost  to  buy  just  as  good  articles,  and  maintain,  besides,  a 
lawn  full  of  beauties.  Vegetable  gardening  is  a good  and  profita- 
ble business  on  a large  scale,  but  on  a small  scale  is  not  often 
made  so,  except  by  the  good  Dutch  women,  who  can  plant,  hoe, 
and  market  their  own  productions,  and  live  on  the  remainders. 
The  kitchen  garden  does  more  to  support  the  family  of  the  gar- 
dener than  the  family  of  the  proprietor,  and  it  is  respectfully  sug- 
gested that  the  satisfaction  of  having  one’s  table  provided  with 
“ our  Patrick’s  ” peas  and  beans  is  not  a high  order  of  family 
pride.  The  professional  gardener,  who  does  the  same  business  on 
a much  larger  scale,  and  vends  his  vegetables  at  our  doors,  is 
likely  to  grow  them  cheaper  and  just  as  good  as  we  can  grow  them. 

But  in  the  matter  of  fruit,  it  is  different.  There  are  some  fruits 


u 


HOME  GROUNDS 


that  can  only  be  had  in  perfection  ripened  on  the  spot  where  they 
are  to  be  eaten.  All  market  fruit-growers  are  obliged  to  pick  fruit 
before  it  is  ripe,  in  order  to  have  it  bear  transportation  and  keep 
well.  We  cannot,  therefore,  get  luscious  ripe  fruit  except  by  grow- 
ing it ; and  we  advise  business  men  of  small  means  and  small 
grounds  to  patronize  the  market  for  vegetables,  but  to  grow  their 
own  strawberries,  raspberries,  peaches,  and  pears ; at  least  so  far 
as  they  may  without  making  the  beauty  of  their  grounds  subordi- 
nate to  the  pleasures  of  the  palate.  The  eye  is  a constant  feeder, 
that  never  sates  with  beauty,  and  is  ever  refining  the  mind  by  the 
influence  of  its  hunger ; but  even  luscious  fruits  give  but  a momen- 
tary pleasure,  and  that  not  seldom  unalloyed  by  excess  and  cloying 
satiety.  Nature  is  more  lavish  of  her  luxuries  for  the  eye  than  of 
those  for  the  stomach,  and,  in  an  economic  point  of  view,  it  will  be 
wise  to  take  advantage  of  her  generosity.  To  this  end,  it  may  be 
profitably  borne  in  mind  that  pleasing  distant  or  near  views  of 
country  or  city,  of  trees  or  houses,  of  sea  or  stream,  which  cost 
nothing  to  preserve  or  keep  in  order,  are  the  best  picture  invest- 
ments that  can  be  made ; and  to  make  charming  verdant  frames 
for  these  pictures  as  well  as  little  “ cabinet  pieces  ” of  your  own 
for  your  neighbors  to  look  in  upon,  will  call  into  play  the  best  skill 
in  gardenesque  designing. 

To  make  the  most  of  common  and  inexpensive  materials  re- 
quires the  same  culture  of  the  eye  and  the  mind,  as  the  manipulation 
of  the  rarest.  To  produce  an  effective  picture  with  a single  color 
requires  the  same  talent  that  would  produce  only  more  brilliant 
effects  with  all  the  colors  of  the  palette.  The  most  needed  advice 
to  novices  in  suburban  home-making  is  this : if  you  can  afford  to 
spend  but  little  on  your  grounds,  study  with  the  greater  care  what 
beauty  outside  of  them  can  be  made  a part  of  the  outlook  from 
them ; do  not  introduce  anything  which  will  convey  the  impression 
that  you  desire  to  have  anything  look  more  expensive  than  it 
really  is;  dispense  with  walks  and  drives  except  where  they  are 
required  for  the  daily  comfort  of  your  family ; eschew  rustic  orna- 
ments, unless  of  the  most  substantial  and  un-showy  character,  and 
in  shadmvy  locations ; avoid  spotting  your  lawn  with  garish  carpen- 
try, or  plaster  or  marble  images  of  any  kind,  or  those  lilliputian 


FOR  BUSINESS  MEN. 


25 


caricatures  on  Nature  and  Art  called  rock-work;  and,  finally,  by 
the  exquisite  keeping  of  what  you  have,  endeavor  to  create  an 
atmosphere  of  refinement  about  your  place,  such  as  a thorough  lady 
housekeeper  will  always  throw  around  her  house,  however  small  or 
plain  it  may  be. 

As  the  wife  and  family  are  the  home-bodies  of  a residence,  the 
business  man  of  a city  who  chooses  a home  out  of  it  should  feel 
that  he  is  not  depriving  them  of  the  pleasures  incident  to  good 
neighborly  society.  During  his  daily  absence,  while  his  mind  is 
kept  in  constant  activity  by  hourly  contact  with  his  acquaintances, 
the  family  at  home  also  need  some  of  the  enlivening  influences  of 
easy  intercourse  with  their  equals,  and  should  not  be  expected  to 
find  entire  contentment  in  their  household  duties,  with  no  other 
society  day  after  day  than  that  of  their  own  little  circle,  and  the 
voiceless  beauty  of  grass,  flowers,  and  trees.  A throng  of  argu- 
ments for  and  against  what  is  vaguely  called  country  life  suggest 
themselves  in  this  connection,  some  of  which  are  treated  of  in  the 
following  chapter,  in  which  suburban  and  country  homes  are  con- 
trasted. The  former,  as  we  would  have  them,  involve  no  banish- 
ment from  all  that  is  good  in  city  life,  but  are  rather  the  elegant 
culmination  of  refined  tastes,  which  cannot  be  gratified  in  the  city ; 
the  proper  field  for  the  growth  of  that  higher  culture  which  finds  in 
art,  nature,  and  congenial  society  combined,  a greater  variety  of 
pleasures  than  can  be  found  in  the  most  luxurious  homes  between 
the  high  walls  of  city  houses ; a step  in  advance  of  the  Indian-like 
craving  for  beads,  jewelry,  and  feathers,  which  distinguishes  the 
city  civilization  of  the  present  day.  Choosing  a home  out  of  the 
city  simply  because  it  can  be  secured  more  cheaply  than  in  it,  is 
not  the  kind  of  plea  for  a suburban  life  which  we  would  present, 
yet  we  urge  that  at  a given  cost  of  home  and  living  it  yields  a far 
greater  variety  of  healthful  pleasures,  and  a fuller,  freer,  happier 
life  for  man,  woman,  and  child,  than  a home  in  the  city. 


SUBURBAN  NEIGHBORHOODS  COMPARED  WITH  COUNTRY  PLACES.  • 


’Twas  town,  yet  country  too ; you  felt  the  warmth 
Of  clustering  houses  in  the  wintry  time.” — Geo.  Eliot. 


LANDSCAPE  GARDENING,  on  a grand  scale,  in  this 
country,  is  only  to  be  accomplished  in  public  parks  and 
^ cemeteries.  Parks  of  considerable  extent,  as  private 
property,  are  impracticable,  by  reason  of  the  transient 
nature  of  family  wealth,  in  a republic  where  both  the  laws  and  the 
industrial  customs  favor  rapid  divisions  and  new  distributions. 


SUBURBAN  NEIGHBORHOODS. 


27 


Attempts  to  make  and  keep  great  private  parks  are  generally  con- 
spicuous failures.  Some  of  the  old  family  parks  on  the  Hudson 
River,  and  a few  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  may  be  thought  of 
as  exceptions,  but  they  are  exceptions  which  rather  prove  the  rule ; 
for  most  of  them  are  on  portions  of  manorial  grants,  held  under 
almost  feudal  titles,  which  have  remained  in  the  same  families 
through  several  generations,  simply  because  they  are  held  under 
laws  which  present  a jarring  contrast  with  the  general  laws  of  prop- 
erty which  now  govern  in  most  of  the  States.  Great  fortunes  can- 
not be  lavished  perennially  for  half  a century  to  keep  them  up, 
where  fortunes  are  so  seldom  made  or  kept  in  families  of  high  cul- 
tivation— the  only  ones  which  are  likely  to  be  led  by  their  tastes, 
or  qualified  by  their  education,  to  direct  such  improvements  suc- 
cessfully. It  is  from  this  lack  of  cultivation,  and  from  sheer  ignor- 
ance of  the  fine  arts,  the  great  expenditures  and  the  generations  of 
patient  waiting  for  results,  which  are  all  necessary  to  produce  such 
works,  that  so  many  wealthy  men  stumble  and  break  their  fortunes 
in  ridiculous  attempts  to  improvise  parks.  It  would  be  well  for 
our  progress  in  Landscape  Gardening  that  this  word  park,  as 
applied  to  private  grounds,  should  be  struck  out  of  use,  and  that 
those  parts  of  our  grounds  which  are  devoted  to  what  feeds  the  eye 
and  the  heart,  rather  than  the  stomach,  should  be  called  simply 
Home-grounds  ; and  that  the  ambition  of  private  wealth  in  our 
republic  should  be.  to  make  gems  of  home  beauty  on  a small  scale, 
rather  than  fine  examples  of  failures  on  a large  scale.  A township 
of  land,  with  streets,  and  roads,  and  streams,  dotted  with  a thou- 
sand suburban  homes  peeping  from  their  groves ; with  school-house 
towers  and  gleaming  spires  among  them ; with  farm  fields,  pastures, 
woodlands,  and  bounding  hills  or  boundless  prairies  stretched 
around  j — these,  altogether,  form  our  suburban  parks,  which  all  of 
us  may  ride  in,  and  walk  in,  and  enjoy ; and  the  most  lavish  expen- 
ditures of  private  wealth  on  private  grounds  can  never  equal  their 
extent,  beauty,  or  variety. 

A serious  inconvenience  of  extensive  private  grounds,  or  parks, 
is  the  isolation  and  loneliness  of  the  habitual  inmates  of  the  house — 
the  ladies.  Few,  even  of  those  who  have  a native  love  for  rural 
life,  can  long  live  contented  without  pleasant  near  neighbors.  A 


28 


SUBURBAN  NEIGHBORHOODS. 


large  family  may  feel  this  less  than  a small  one.  Those  who  have 
the  means,  the  health,  and  the  disposition  to  entertain  much  com- 
pany at  home,  will  escape  the  feeling  of  loneliness.  But  much 
company  brings  much  care.  It  is  paying  a high  price  for  company 
when  one  must  keep  a free  hotel  to  secure  it.  To  do  without  it, 
however,  soon  suggests  to  the  ladies  that  fewer  acres,  and  more 
friends  near  by,  would  be  a desirable  change  ; and  not  knowing  the 
facility  with  which  the  happy  medium  may  be  reached,  they  are  apt 
to  jump  at  the  conclusion  that,  of  the  two  privations — life  in  the 
country  without  neighborly  society,  or  life  in  the  city  without  the 
charms  of  Nature — the  latter  is  the  least.  Thousands  of  beautiful 
homes  are  every  year  offered  for  sale,  on  which  the  owners  have 
often  crippled  their  fortunes  by  covering  too  much  ground  with 
their  expenditures.  Instead  of  retiring  to  the  country  for  rest  and 
strengthening  recreation,  they  have  added  a full  assortment  of 
losing  and  vexatious  employments  in  the  country  to  their  already 
wearisome  but  profitable  business  in  the  city.  It  is  the  ambition 
to  have  “ parks”  (young  Chatsworths  !) — to  be  model  farmers  and 
famous  gardeners ; to  be  pomologists,  with  all  the  fruits  of  the 
nursery  catalogues  on  their  lists : in  short,  to  add  to  the  burden  of 
their  town  business  the  cares  of  half  a dozen  other  laborious  pro- 
fessions, that  finally  sickens  so  many  of  their  country  places  after  a 
few  years’  experience  with  them.  There  is  another  large  class  of 
prosperous  city  men  who  have  spent  their  early  years  on  farms, 
and  who  cherish  a deep  love  of  the  country  through  all  their  de- 
cennial rounds  of  city  life ; who  have  no  fanciful  ambitions  for 
parks ; whose  dreams  are  of  hospitable  halls,  broad  pastures,  and 
sweet  meadows,  fine  cattle  and  horses.  It  is  a less  vexatious  mesh 
of  ambitions  than  the  preceding,  but  one  that  requires  a very 
thoughtful  examination  of  the  resources  of  the  purse  and  the  calls 
that  will  be  made  upon  it,  before  purchasing  the  model  farm  that 
is  to  be.  And  we  beg  leave  to  intrude  a little  into  the  privacy  of 
the  family  circle,  to  inquire  how  long  will  the  wife  and  daughters 
be  contented  with  isolation  on  ever  so  beautiful  a farm ; how  long 
before  the  boys  will  leave  home  for  business  or  homes  of  their 
own;  and  how  long,  if  these  are  dissatisfied,  or  absent,  will  the 
“ fine  mansion  ” and  broad  fields,  in  a lonely  locality,  bring  peace 


29 


/ 


SUBURBAN  NEIGHBORHOODS. 

and  comfort  to  the  owner  ? That  there  are  men  and  families  that 
truly  fill,  enjoy,  anch  honor  such  life,  it  is  good  to  know ; but  they 
are  cluster-jewels  of  great  rarity. 

Our  panacea  for  the  town-sick  business  man  who  longs  for  a 
rural  home,  whether  from  ennui  of  the  monotonousness  of  business 
life,  or  from  the  higher  nature-loving  soul  that  is  in  him,  is  to  take 
country  life  as  a famishing  man  should  take  food — in  very  small 
quantities.  From  a half  acre  to  four  or  five  acres  will  afford  ground 
enough  to  give  all  the  finer  pleasures  of  rural  life.  The  suburbs  of 
most  cities,  of  from  five  to  fifty  thousand  people,  will  have  sites  at 
reasonable  prices,  within  easy  walking  distance  of  business,  where 
men  of  congenial  tastes  and  friendly  families  may  make  purchases, 
and  cluster  their  improvements  so  as  to  obtain  all  the  benefits  of 
rural  pleasures,  and  many  of  the  beauties  of  park  scenery,  without 
relinquishing  the  luxuries  of  town  life. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  large  cities,  horse  and  steam  railways, 
and  steamers,  transport  in  a few  minutes  their  thousands  of  tired 
workers  to  cheerful  villages,  or  neighborly  suburban  homes,  envi- 
roned with  green  fields  and  loveable  trees.  To  be  thus  transported 
from  barren  city  streets  to  the  verdant  country  is  a privilege  for 
which  we  cannot  be  too  grateful.  But,  if  we  are  to  choose  a sub- 
urban residence  for  the  whole  year  (not  migrating  to  a city  home 
or  hotel  with  the  first  chills  of  November),  it  is  a serious  matter  to 
know  whether  there  is  a good  hard  road  and  sidewalk  to  the  home. 
City  life,  with  its  flagging,  and  gas  lights,  and  pavements,  comes 
back  to  the  imagination  couleur  de  rose  when  your  horses  or  your 
boots  are  toiling  through  deep  mud  on  country  roads.  This  is  bad 
enough  by  daylight ; at  night  you  might  feel  like  stopping  to  be- 
stow a benediction  on  a post  that  would  sparkle  gas-light  across 
your  path.  Now  the  moral  which  we  would  suggest  by  thus  pre- 
senting the  most  disagreeable  feature  of  suburban  life,  is  this : to  go 
no  farther  into  the  country  than  where  good  roads  have  already 
been  made,  and  where  good  sidewalks  have  either  been  made,  or, 
from  the  character  or  growth  of  the  neighborhood,  are  pretty  sure 
to  be  made  within  a short  time.  Some  persons  must,  of  course,  be 
pioneers.  Those  who  locate  in  a new  suburban  neighborhood 
expect  to  buy  their  lots  enough  cheaper  than  the  later  comers  to 


30 


SUBURBAN  NEIGHBORHOODS. 


compensate  for  the  inconveniences  of  a sparse  neighborhood. 
But,  in  playing  pioneer,  one  must  be  pretty  sure  that  followers  are 
on  the  track,  for  “hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick.”  One  of 
the  greatest  drawbacks  to  the  improvement  of  suburban  neighbor- 
hoods is  the  fact  that  many  persons  own  long  fronts  on  the  roads 
who  are  not  able  to  make  the  thorough  improvement  of  roads  and 
sidewalks  in  front  of  their  grounds  which  the  new-comers,  located 
beyond  them,  require.  This  should  have  been  foreseen  by  the 
new-comers.  Having  chosen  their  homes  with  the  facts  before 
them,  they  must  not  complain  if  some  poor  farmer  or  “ land-poor  ” 
proprietor  is  unable  to  improve  for  their  benefit,  and  unwilling  to 
sell  at  their  desire.  In  choosing  a suburban  home,  the  character 
of  the  ownerships  between  a proposed  location  and  the  main  street 
or  railroad  station  should  be  known,  and  influence  to  some  extent 
one’s  choice. 

The  advantages  cannot  be  too  strongly  urged,  of  forming  com- 
panies of  congenial  gentlemen  to  buy  land  enough  for  all.  Select  a 
promising  locality,  divide  the  property  into  deep  narrow  strips,  if 
the  form  of  the  ground  will  admit  of  it,  having  frontages  of  one, 
two,  or  three  hundred  feet  each,  according  to  the  means  respec- 
tively of  the  partitioners,  and  as  much  depth  as  possible.  A 
depth  four  times  as  great  as  the  frontage  is  the  best  form  of  subur- 
ban lots  for  improvement  in  connection  with  adjoining  neighbors. 
Lots  of  these  proportions  insure  near  neighbors,  and  good  walks 
and  roads  in  their  fronts,  at  least.  Acting  together,  the  little  com- 
munity can  create  a local  pressure  for  good  improvements  that  will 
have  its  effect  on  the  entire  street  and  neighborhood.  In  subse- 
quent chapters  we  propose  to  show  how  such  neighbors  may  im- 
prove their  grounds  in  connection  with  each  other,  so  as  to  realize 
some  pleasing  effects  of  artistic  scenery  at  a comparatively  small 
expense  to  each  owner.  Even  the  luxury  of  gas  in  our  suburban 
houses  and  roads  is  quite  practicable  in  the  mode  of  dividing  and 
improving  property  which  we  have  recommended ; and  with  good 
roads,  sidewalks,  and  gas,  added  to  the  delightfulness  of  rural 
homes,  no  healthy-hearted  family  would  wish  to  have  their  perma- 
nent home  in  a dark  and  narrow  city  house.  Our  cities  would 
gradually  become  great  working-hives,  but  not  homes,  for  a major- 


SUBURBAN  NEIGHBORHOODS. 


31 


ity  of  their  people.  It  may  be  said  that  such  homes  as  we  speak 
of,  in  the  suburbs  of  great  cities,  would  be  simply  village  resi- 
dences. It  is  true ; but  they  would  be  villages  of  a broader,  more 
generous,  and  cosmopolitan  character  than  old-fashioned  villages. 
Post-offices,  shops  and  groceries,  butchers,  bakers,  blacksmiths, 
shoemakers,  and  laborers  of  all  kinds  must  be  near  by,  and  a 
part  of  our  community,  or  there  would  be  no  living  at  all ; but 
where  a large,  and  probably  the  most  wealthy,  part  of  the  inhabit- 
ants go  daily  to  the  city  centre  to  transact  business,  the  amount  of 
traffic  carried  on  in  the  village  or  suburban  centre  will  not  be  large 
enough  to  seriously  injure  the  general  rural  character  of  the  vicin- 
ity. The  stir  of  thrifty  industry  is  in  itself  refreshing,  and  the 
attractions  of  lecture,  concert,  and  dancing  halls,  and  ice-cream  re- 
sorts, cannot  be  dispensed  with. 

We  believe  this  kind  of  half:country,  half-town  life,  is  the  happy 
* medium,  and  the  realizable  ideal  for  the  great  majority  of  well-to- 
do  Americans.  The  few  families  who  have  a unanimity  of  warm 
and  long-continued  love  for  more  isolated  and  more  picturesquely 
rural,  or  more  practically  rural  homes,  are  exceptions.  The  mass 
of  men  and  women  are  more  gregarious.  Very  poetical  or  reflec- 
tive minds,  or  persons  absorbed  in  mutual  domestic  loves,  find 
some  of  their  deepest  pleasure  in  seclusion  with  Nature.  But  the 
zest  even  of  their  calm  pleasures  in  the  country  is  greatly  height- 
ened by  frequent  contrasts  with  city  excitements,  and  by  the  com- 
pany of  sympathetic  minds,  who  enjoy  what  they  enjoy.  A philo- 
sophic Frenchman,  who  lived  much  alone,  was  once  asked  by  a 
lady  if  he  did  not  find  solitude  very  sweet.  He  replied,  “ Indeed, 
madam,  when  you  have  some  pleasant  friend  to  whom  you  can  say, 

‘ Oh,  how  sweet  is  solitude.’  ” A suburban  home,  therefore,  meets 
the  wants  of  refined  and  cultivated  people  more  than  any  other. 


CHAPTER  V. 

BUILDING  SITES  AND  GROUND  SURFACES. 

HAVING,  in  the  chapter  on  “Suburban  Neighborhoods 
compared  with  Country  Places,”  suggested  the  most 
desirable  proportions  for  suburban  lots,  we  propose  in 
this  to  consider  building  sites  with  reference  to  their 
tree-furniture,  their  natural  surfaces,  and  the  better  ways  of  im- 
proving them.  But  it  may  not  be  superfluous  to  repeat,  that  where 
the  form  of  the  lot  can  be  determined  by  the  purchaser,  a propor- 
tion where  the  depth  is  from  three  to  four  times  as  great  as  the 
frontage  is  usually  the  most  desirable. 

A varied  surface  is,  of  course,  a great  desideratum ; yet,  for 
quite  small  grounds,  abruptness  or  picturesqueness  is  seldom  com- 
patible with  the  high  keeping  that  is  essential  near  the  dwelling. 


BUILDING  SITES . 


33 


Occasionally,  in  rocky  situations,  or  on  the  border  of  a running 
brook,  such  sites  may  be  charmingly  harmonized  with  the  practical 
requirements  of  the  dwelling  and  outbuildings ; but  they  are  excep- 
tional. The  great  mass  of  house  sites  are  smooth  swells  or  levels. 

Trees  already  grown  are  invaluable.  To  have  them,  or  not  to 
have  them,  is,  to  speak  in  business  phrase,  to  begin  with  capital  or 
without  it.  As  capital  draws  to  itself  capital,  so  trees  are  magnets 
of  home  beauty,  towards  which  domestic  architecture,  the  gardener’s 
arts,  and  varied  family  enjoyments  are  most  naturally  attracted.  But 
there  are  trees  whose  age  and  habits  of  growth  are  not  such  as  to 
give  them  high  value.  Forest  trees,  which  have  attained  a lofty 
height,  are  not  only  dangerous  in  proximity  to  a dwelling,  but  are 
also  likely  to  maintain  a sort  of  living  death  when  their  contempo- 
rary trees  are  cut  from  around  them — putting  forth  their  leaves 
annually,  it  is  true,  but  dying  limb  by  limb  at  their  summits,  and 
scattering  on  the  ground  their  dead  twigs  and  branches.  No 
grandeur  of  lofty  trunk  can  mitigate  the  danger  from  spring 
winds  or  summer  tempests  that  may  bring  its  crushing  weight 
upon  the  house  and  its  inmates.  But  trees  which  have  grown 
broadly  in  open  ground,  and  lashed  their  arms  and  toughened  their 
fibres  in  the  gales  of  half  a century,  may  be  relied  on  to  brood  pro- 
tectingly  over  a home ; and  few  among  these  are  more  loveable  in 
blossom,  shade,  and  fruit,  than  fine  old  apple-trees.  There  is 
another  class  of  trees  which  have  little  beauty  as  environments  of 
a dwelling.  We  refer  to  “ second-growth  ” trees,  which  have  grown 
thickly  together,  and  which,  though  valuable  for  their  shade,  form 
rather  a nursery  of  rough  poles,  with  a valuable  mass  of  foliage 
over  them,  than  an  ornamental  grove.  Rough  woods  are  quite  too 
common  in  this  country,  and  too  rude  in  all  their  looks  and  ways, 
to  be  welcomed  to  our  cultivated  homes  as  we  welcome  the  civil- 
ized and  polished  members  of  the  tree  family.  But  such  dense 
groves  of  second-growth  trees  usually  have  many  specimens  among 
them  well  worth  preserving,  and  which,  if  twenty  feet  high  or  up- 
wards, will  better  repay  good  nursing  and  care  than  any  young 
trees  that  can  be  planted  to  fill  their  places.  The  proprietor  of 
such  a building  site  is  much  more  likely  to  err,  however,  in  leaving 
too  many  than  too  few ; and  the  thorough  cutting  out  of  the  grove, 
3 


34 


BUILDING  SITES 


which  a landscape  artist  will  insist  on,  may  seem  like  wholesale 
slaughter  to  the  owner. 

Trees  which  have  grown  up  singly,  or  in  groups  of  a few  only, 
exposed  on  all  sides  to  the  full  glow  of  the  sun  and  air,  are  worth 
more  than  a whole  catalogue  of  nursery  stuff  for  immediate  and 
permanent  adornment.  It  is  surprising  how  little  additional  price 
most  purchasers  are  willing  to  pay  for  lots  that  are  enriched  by 
such  native  trees,  while  they  willingly  expend  ten  times  their  cost 
in  the  little  beginnings  of  trees  procured  from  nurseries.  One  fine- 
spreading  tree,  of  almost  any  native  variety,  is  of  inestimable  value 
in  home  adornment.  Few  exotic  trees  are  so  beautiful  as  our 
finest  natives,  and  nothing  that  we  can  plant  will  so  well  repay  the 
most  lavish  enrichment  of  the  soil  to  promote  its  growth  as  one  of 
these  trees  “to  the  manor  born.”  In  locating  a house  with  ref- 
erence to  fine  trees  already  growing,  it  is  much  better  to  have  them 
behind,  or  overhanging  the  sides,  than  to  have  them  in  front;  the 
object  being  to  make  them  a setting,  or  frame-work,  for  the  house  ; 
to  have  the  house  embowered  in  them,  rather  than  shut  out  behind 
them. 

Let  us  now  consider  some  different  forms  of  ground  surfaces . 


Fig.  i. 


Ground  which  rises  from  the  street,  so  that  where  it  meets  the 
house  it  is  about  on  a level  with  the  top  of  an  ordinary  fence  at  the 
street  line,  is  a good  form  of  surface.  This  rise  should  not,  how- 
ever, be  on  a plane  from  the  street  boundary  to  the  dwelling.  The 
lawn,  and  whatever  is  planted,  will  show  to  much  better  advantage 
if  the  rise  takes  the  form  of  the  arc  of  a circle,  as  shown  in  Fig.  i, 
section  A,  on  which  the  front  steps  of  the  house  are  indicated  at  ay 
the  front  fence  at  b , and  the  street  sidewalk  at  c. 

• Or,  for  increasing  the  apparent  extent  of  the  ground,  the  curve 


AND  GROUND  SURFACES. 


35 


rising  more  rapidly  near  the  fence  may  be  an  improvement,  as 
shown  in  section  B,  of  the  same  cut. 


Fig.  2. 


Sections  C and  D,  of  Fig.  2,  illustrate  three  less  common,  and 
perhaps  more  elegant  forms  for  ground  surfaces  next  to  the  street. 
Back  of  the  fence,  at  a,  is  a strip  of  ground,  level  with  the  side- 
walk, not  more  than  a foot  wide,  which  should  be  kept  free  from 
grass  by  the  hoe.  The  grass  at  the  bottom  of  the  terrace  slope 
can  then  be  trimmed  to  a line  parallel  with  the  fence.  The  effect 
is  very  pretty ; and  as  it  would  be  difficult  to  keep  grass  neatly  cut 
at  the  bottom  of  such  a slope  so  near  the  fence,  this  plan  saves 
labor.  The  lower  line  on  section  C,  of  the  same  cut,  shows  a form 
that  may  be  substituted  for  the  terrace  slope ; and  at  D is  another 
form  more  gardenesque  than  either. 

It  is  surprising  how  much  larger  grounds  look  which  show  such 
surfaces  than  those  which  are  on  a plane,  level  with  the  street.  A 
quick  rise  from  the  street  has  the  disadvantage,  when  the  distance 
from  the  house  to  the  gate  is  short,  of  requiring  steps  to  gain  the 
rise  near  the  gate.  Though  no  serious  objection  in  summer,  they 
are  often  dangerous  in  winter,  especially  to  old  people.  In  towns, 
a choice  between  such  surfaces  is  frequently  necessitated  by  the 
grading  of  a street  a few  feet  below  the  level  of  adjacent  lots. 
These  should  never  be  walled  next  to  the  street  the  full  height  of 
the  excavation.  The  cuts  just  described  illustrate  appropriate 
modes  of  shaping  the  surface  of  the  ground  next  to  the  street 
where  the  grade  has  not  cut  more  than  four  feet  below  the  general 
level  at  the  street  line.  Grass  slopes,  behind  light  fences,  are 
not  only  much  cheaper  than  stone  walls,  but  add  more  to  the 
beauty  of  the  grounds. 

Fig.  3 shows  a more  elegant  treatment  of  the  same  sort  of  sur- 


36 


i 


BUILDING  SITES 


face  for  a deeper  and  larger  lot.  Here  a space,  at  least  wide 

enough  to  swing  a scythe  easily,  is  left  between  the  fence  and  the 

first  grass  terrace.  It  must  not  be  less  than  six  feet  wide,  nor 

more  than  one-sixth  of  the  distance  from  the  fence  to  the  house 

steps.  Another  grass  terrace  around  the  house  is  shown  at  C. 


Fig.  3. 


Two  terraces  of  this  kind  are  as  many  as  any  ordinary  place  will 
bear.  To  break  a small  lawn  into  a multiplicity  of  terraces  is  a 
sure  means  of  spoiling  it.  This  form  of  surface  is  well  adapted  to 
be  carried  around  three  sides  of  a block  embracing  several  resi- 
dences, the  fronts  of  which  should  be  from  80  to  150  feet  from  the 
street,  and  the  lower  grass  plat  at  a from  10  to  20  feet  wide. 

Fig.  4 shows  two  forms  of  treating  a bank  made  by  a deeper 
street-cut — say  from  six  to  eight  feet.  Owners  frequently  wall 


Fig.  4. 


such  street  lines  the  whole  height  of  the  cut.  No  more  foolish  ex- 
penditure can  be  incurred,  both  in  an  economic  and  artistic  point 
of  view.  It  is  difficult  to  make  such  a wall  that  will  resist  the 
enormous  pressure  of  the  earth  when  frosts  disintegrate,  and  heavy 
rains  soften  it.  If  constructed  so  that  it  can  resist  for  years  this 
interior  pressure,  it  must  be  by  the  expenditure  of  a sum  of  money 
that  might  create  ten  times  the  beauty  if  expended  in  other  ways. 


AND  GROUND  SURFACES. 


37 


A solid  wall  from  two  to  three  feet  above  the  sidewalk  level  is  as 
high  as  we  would  advise  on  street  lines  from  which  it  is  intended 
that  grounds  shall  show  their  beauty.  On  Fig.  2,  sections  C and 
D,  where  the  street  cut  is  three  or  four  feet,  the  ground-slope  down 
to  the  sidewalk,  as  shown  by  the  formal  terraces,  and  the  lower 
line,  on  section  C,  is  more  pleasing  than  any  wall. 

But  for  the  deep  cut  illustrated  by  Fig.  4,  it  is  an  open  question 
whether,  as  some  kind  of  fence  will  be  necessary,  a partial  wall,  as 
at  f may  not  effect  that  object,  and  produce  the  best  form  of 
ground  surface.  It  will  be  seen  by  the  enlarged  section  a that  the 
coping  of  the  low  wall  (say  3 feet)  is  to  be  cut  so  as  to  make  its 
outer  surface  a continuation  of  the  sloping  bank  above.  This  will 
make  a pretty  effect,  and  no  other  fence  will  be  required ; but  the 
wall  must  be  of  great  strength.  The  lower  line  being  merely  a 
sloping  bank  of  grass,  would  require  another  kind  of  fence,  and  to 
be  treated  as  at  Fig.  2. 

Fig.  5 is  intended  to  illustrate  the  prettier  effect  that  may  be 
produced  by  making  use  of  small  inequalities  of  the  ground,  instead 


Fig.  5. 


of  grading  to  a uniform  slope.  It  does  not  show  just  the  surface  it 
was  intended  to  show,  but  will  suggest  to  the  observer  the  greater 
possibility  of  pleasing  effects  than  on  a uniform  plane. 

Where  a natural  elevation  for  a house  occurs  a few  rods  from 
the  street,  with  an  intervening  level  between  it  and  the  street,  it  is 
usually  better  to  preserve  its  form,  than  to  grade  down  and  fill  up 
to  bring  the  whole  lot  to  what  some  persons  are  pleased  to  term  “ a 
correct  grade.”  Fig.  6 illustrates  what  is  meant ; the  natural  sur- 
face is  a graceful  form,  and  the  most  capable  of  decorative  effect. 

Though  rising  ground  is  usually  more  valued  than  that  which 


38 


BUILDING  SITES 


is  below  the  level  of  the  road,  it  is  not  always  more  desirable.  If 
a dwelling-site  has  its  main  walks  to  the  doors  on  a level  with  the 
street,  and  a part  of  the  ground  lower,  but  relatively  higher  than 


Fig.  6. 


other  grounds  farther  back,  the  location  may  be  capable  of  more 
beautiful  effects  than  a plain  swell.  A bird’s-eye  view  over  small 
grounds  is  so  rare  that  any  approach  to  it  is  a pleasing  novelty, 
and  the  opportunities  to  obtain  such  effects  should  be  made  the 
most  of.  The  most  lovely  views  the  world  can  boast  are  narrow 
valleys  seen  from  adjacent  hills.  Figs.  7 and  8 are  sections  show- 
ing pleasing  forms  of  surfaces  below  the  level  of  the  street,  but 
overlooking  lower  ground  farther  back. 

A building  site  may  even  be  much  lower  than  its  street  en- 
trance, as  in  Figs.  7 and  8,  where  the  level  of  the  road  is  shown 


Fig.  7. 


at  a , on  the  condition  already  named,  that  the  grou?id  in  its 
rear  be  still  lower  relatively.  A cottage  in  the  spirit  of  the  Swiss 
style,  in  such  a locality,  would  be  quite  appropriate,  or,  indeed, 
any  style  in  which  the  roof  lines  are  both  prominent  and  grace- 


AND  GROUND  SURFACES . 


39 


ful.  It  is  essential,  however,  that  the  house  site  should  not 
have  the  appearance  of  being  in  a basin,  much  less  be  so  in 
fact;  for  the  latter  would  be  a miserable  inconvenience  in  wet 
weather,  and  the  mere  supposition  of  such  a situation  would  make 
the  site  seem  undesirable  even  if  the  soil  and  drainage  were  per- 
fect. Such  locations  should  not  be  basins  with  reference  to  the 
surrounding  land,  however  dry  the  soil,  as  in  that  case  the  damp 
evening  and  morning  air  would  settle  in  them.  But  if  the  rear 
ground,  as  shown  in  Figs.  7 and  8,  is  the  bank  of  a stream  or  valley, 
down  to  which  the  damp  cool  air  will  flow,  then  such  sites  may 
really  be  freer  from  morning  and  evening  damps  than  much  higher 
ground  which  is  not  high  relatively  to  other  ground  near  by. 

A form  of  ground  surface  is  especially  desirable,  for  small  lots, 
on  which  side-hill  houses,  blending  the  character  of  city  basements 
and  village  cottages,  will  look  well.  Fig.  7 represents  one  form 


Fig.  8. 


that  might  be  suggested  for  such  a site,  and  Fig.  9 a mode  of  treat- 
ing the  ground  of  a town  lot  which  is  below  the  street  level. 

In  Fig.  7,  nearly  all  of  the  lot  is  supposed  to  be  behind  the 
house,  the  front  being  connected  by  a short,  straight  walk  with  the 
street,  and  by  a diverging  curved  walk  with  the  basement  entrance 
on  the  rear  plateau,  where  it  is  supposed  the  kitchen  and  dining- 
room are  located. 

Fig.  9 illustrates  the  treatment  of  a corner  lot,  around  which 
the  streets  have  been  graded  considerably  above  the  lot  surface. 
Instead  of  filling  the  lot  to  the  street  level,  it  should  be  treated  as 
here  shown ; and  there  is  no  question  that  the  house  is  not  only 
better,  but  the  ground  improvement  is  far  more  pleasing  than  it 
could  have  been  made  on  a level  with  the  street. 


40 


BUILDING  SITES 


After  all,  the  vast  majority  of  building  sites  are  pretty  nearly 
level  surfaces,  and  if  we  will  but  learn  to  develop  all  the  beauty 
that  such  are  capable  of,  there  will  be  little  cause  to  envy  the 


Fig.  9. 


possession  of  more  varied  surfaces.  Most  of  the  designs  which 
follow  will  be  for  such  places,  as  they  can  be  planned  with  more 
certainty  of  being  useful  to  a great  number  of  persons.  Varied 
surfaces  require  such  thorough  knowledge  of  each  peculiarity  of 
the  ground,  the  drainage  required,  the  difference  of  levels,  the  na- 
ture of  the  trees,  or  rocks,  or  water,  that  may  be  upon  it,  that  their 
features  must  not  only  be  seen,  but  carefully  surveyed  and  platted, 
in  order  to  be  planned  to  advantage ; and  even  then  the  skill  of  an 
artist-gardener  will  be  essential  to  their  judicious  improvement, 
urfless  the  proprietor  is  a person  of  unusual  taste  in  such  matters. 
Many  persons  involve  themselves  in  useless  expenditures  on  such 
sites  from  misdirected  zeal  for  improvement,  and  ignorance  of  what 
not  to  attempt . Uneven  sites  also  necessitate  greater  skill  in  the 
architect,  in  adapting  the  house  to  the  ground.  It  is  by  such  adap- 
tations, happily  executed,  that  the  difference  between  architects  of 
fine  native  taste  and  culture,  and  mere  routine  designers,  is  occa- 
sionally illustrated.  And  the  same  faculty  for  the  happy  adapta^ 
tion  of  one  mode  of  planting  or  another  to  suit  different  ground 
surfaces,  to  develop  the  best  effects  of  existing  trees,  to  turn  a rock 
or  a brook  to  the  best  account,  is  that  which  distinguishes  the 
artistic  from  the  commonplace  planter. 


AND  GROUND  SURFACES. 


41 


Drainage. 

The  absolute  necessity  of  deep  sub-soil  drainage  is  known  to 
all  intelligent  agriculturists  and  gardeners  ; but  on  the  supposition 
that  among  our  readers  are  town-bred  people  who  have  not  had 
occasion  to  become  well-informed  in  even  the  rudiments  of  horti- 
culture, we  will  state  broadly,  that  deep  and  thorough  sub-soil 
drainage  is  the  most  essential  of  all  preparations  for  the  growth  of 
trees  and  shrubs  ; without  which  neither  care  nor  surface  enrich- 
ment of  the  soil  will  develop  their  greatest  beauty.  Many  valuable 
shrubs  cannot  survive  the  winters  of  the  middle  States  in  imper- 
fectly drained  soils,  which  in  those  deeply  drained  and  cultivated 
are  hardy  and  healthy.  In  Chapter  XVIII,  on  the  philosophy  of 
deep  drainage  and  cultivation,  and  the  treatment  of  half-hardy 
trees  and  shrubs,  to  which,  in  this  connection,  the  reader’s  atten- 
tion is  earnestly  invited,  the  results  of  drainage  are  more  fully 
treated.  The  same  causes  which  make  the  most  thorough  drain- 
age of  the  soil  a /^-requisite  to  success  in  growing  half-hardy 
trees,  act  with  equal  efficiency  to  give  fuller  health  and  greater  vigor 
to  those  which  are  hardy.  The  white  oak  may  continue  to  grow, 
in  a slow  and  meagre  way,  in  a soil  filled  during  most  of  the  year 
with  superfluous  moisture ; but  if  that  same  soil  were  deeply  and 
completely  drained  the  annual  growth  would  be  doubled,  and  the 
increased  abundance  and  finer  color  of  the  foliage  becomes  as 
marked  as  the  difference  between  an  uncultivated  and  a well-tilled 
field  of  corn.  A lilac  bush  growing  in  a soil  cold  with  constant 
moisture  a little  below  the  surface,  will  develop  only  surface  roots ; 
and  having  no  deep  hold  in  the  soil,  its  main  stems  will  hang  to  one 
side  or  another  with  a sort  of  inebriate  weakness.  But  if  the  soil 
is  dry,  deep,  and  porous,  when  the  plant  is  set  out,  the  roots  strike 
down  deep  and  strong,  the  stem  will  exhibit  a sturdy  vigor,  and  the 
top  a well-balanced,  low-spreading  luxuriance,  never  seen  in  cold 
undrained  soils.  Even  willows,  much  as  they  love  a moist  soil,  are 
much  more  healthy  and  symmetrical  when  planted  in  well-drained 
than  in  wet  places  ; — their  peculiarity  being  to  flourish  best  where 
their  roots  can  find  water  by  seeking  it,  as  an  animal  goes  to  a 
stream  and  stoops  to  drink,  but  not  by  standing  in  it  perpetually. 


42 


BUILDING  SITES 


Trees  requiring  much  moisture,  which  grow  close  to  streams  or  wet 
places,  usually  have  their  finest  development  when  standing  several 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  water  in  ground  that  is  perfectly  drained 
by  the  proximity  of  a watercourse , and  which  at  the  same  time  affords 
the  roots  an  opportunity  to  drink  at  will  when  deep  enough. 

No  thorough  gardener,  or  intelligent  planter,  is  content  with 
surface  or  open-ditch  drainage.  It  is  always  insufficient,  bungling, 
and  untidy.  The  most  perfect  drainage  is  that  formed  by  a gravelly 
soil  underlaid  with  coarser  gravel  to  a considerable  depth.  This 
is  Nature’s  sub-soil  drainage ; and  it  is  a well-known  fact  that 
soils  but  meagrely  supplied  with  vegetable  and  mineral  food  for 
plants — “ poor  soils  ” as  they  are  often  called,  when  judged  by 
their  appearance  rather  than  their  results — will  yield  better  annual 
returns  in  crops  than  the  richest  undrained  lands.  Where  Nature 
has  provided  this  sub-soil  drainage,  other  drains  may  not  be  neces- 
sary; but  there  are  few  localities  where  the  sub-soil  is  so  perfect 
as  to  render  artificial  drainage  superfluous.  Where  cellars  are 
found  to  be  always  dry,  though  not  provided  with  drains,  the 
natural  drainage  may  be  considered  perfect ; but  it  will  not  do  to 
infer  that  because  one  spot  is  dry,  without  drains,  that  another  a 
hundred  feet  from  it,  on  a different  altitude  or  exposure,  is  equally 
favored ; though  large  districts  of  country  are  occasionally  found 
where  good  natural  drainage  is  the  rule,  and  springy  sub-soils  the 
exception.  The  writer  has  observed  some  very  suggestive  phe- 
nomena illustrating  the  relative  efficiency  of  sub-soil  and  surface 
drainage.  On  the  same  slope  of  one  large  field,  where  the  soil  is  a 
friable  clay,  one  half  the  field  had  been  sub-drained  with  lines 
of  tile  thirty  feet  apart  and  three  feet  deep,  and  the  surface  left 
level  between  them ; the  other  half  was  plowed  into  “ lands,”  or 
ridges  of  the  same  width,  sloping  down  to  ditches  in  the  middle 
which  were  two  feet  below  the  level  of  the  highest  ground  between 
them.  After  heavy  rains  the  surface  of  the  open-ditch  part  of  the 
lot  always  glistened  with  moisture  and  was  sticky  for  several  days, 
although  the  descent  was  so  rapid  that  the  water  seemed  to  run  off 
immediately.  On  the  sub-drained  part,  level  as  it  was,  the  surface 
always  had  a dry  spongy  appearance,  was  free  from  superfluous 
moisture,  and  ready  to  be  worked  and  pleasant  to  be  walked  upon 


AND  GROUND  SURFACES. 


43 


in  half  the  time  required  to  dry  the  sticky  surface  of  the  other  part 
of  the  field.  The  advantage  did  not  stop  here.  The  porous  char- 
acter given  to  the  soil  by  the  formation  of  innumerable  and  invisi- 
ble channels  in  a vertical  direction  down  through  the  earth  to  the 
drains  below,  had  such  a tendency  to  lighten  the  ground  that  it 
became  much  more  capable  than  the  harder-surfaced  soil  to  resist 
drouth ; and  was  just  as  much  moister  in  very  dry  weather  as  it 
was  dryer  in  wet  weather.  This  is  in  consequence  of  the  fact, 
well  known  to  cultivators,  that  the  more  porous  and  deeply  worked 
a soil  is,  the  greater  is  its  power  of  absorbing  moisture  from  the 
atmosphere  in  times  of  drouth.  In  sandy  soils  with  clay  sub- 
stratum the  effect  of  drainage  is  quite  as  striking  in  its  effect  on 
the  growth  of  plants  and  trees  as  in  clayey  lands,  though  not  so 
necessary  for  comfort  in  walking  upon,  or  working  the  soil.  A 
wet  sandy  soil  is  more  apt  to  be  cold  and  sour  than  a clayey  soil, 
notwithstanding  its  more  comfortable  surface ; and  the  sandy  loams 
known  as  “ springy,”  which  have  veins  of  quicksand  not  far  below 
the  surface,  are  those  which  most  need  drainage,  and  which  are 
most  difficult  to  drain  well. 

The  top  of  a hill,  or  a steep  hill-side,  is  as  likely  to  need  sub- 
soil drainage  as  the  bottom  of  a valley.  It  is  the  nature  of  the  sub- 
soil in  each  case,  that  renders  drains  necessary  or  superfluous,  and 
not  the  relative  altitude  of  the  location.  Land  surveyors  are 
familiar  with  the  fact  that  swamps  are  most  numerous  in  the 
neighborhood  of  summit-levels. 

Tile  and  other  earthernware  pipes  are  the  best  materials 
for  common  drains ; and  for  garden  and  suburban  lot  drainage, 
should  be  put  down  from  three  to  four  feet  below  the  surface. 
Professional  drainers,  or  tilers,  who  use  long  narrow  spades  and 
hoes  can  put  down  drains  four  or  five  feet  deep  with  a small  dis- 
placement of  soil,  and  so  rapidly  that  it  is  not  an  expensive  opera- 
tion to  drain  thoroughly  a half  acre  or  acre  suburban  lot  by  a 
series  of  drains  not  more  than  twenty  feet  apart,  provided  there  is 
a sewer  or  other  good  outlet  near  by.  Persons  who  are  about  to 
build  on  suburban  lots  which  require  drainage,  should  have  the 
work  done  in  connection  with  the  house  main  drain,  which  is 
usually  deep  enough  to  be  used  as  a trunk  drain  for  the  land ; and 


44 


BUILDING  SITES , ETC. 


all  the  needful  connections  can  be  made  to  better  advantage  when 
planned  and  executed  at  one  time,  than  when  pipes  must  be 
found  and  tapped  for  subsequent  connections.  When  the  work 
is  done,  the  exact  locality  of  the  main  drain,  and  all  its  connec- 
tions, should  be  marked  with  blue  ink  on  a general  plan  of  the 
house  and  grounds. 

Rats,  mice,  and  moles  frequently  make  their  nests  in  tile-drains 
when  there  is  no  water  in  them,  and  may  stop  them  completely. 
If  the  mouths  of  drains  are  always  immersed  in  water,  or  if  there 
is  a constant  flow  of  water  through  them,  there  will  be  little  danger 
from  this*  cause.  But  the  best  precaution  is  to  fill  one-third  or  one- 
half  the  depth  of  the  ditch  above  the  tile  with  coarse  gravel  around 
the  tile,  and  broken  stone,  brick,  or  coal-clinkers  above,  putting 
a layer  of  sod  over  all.  The  deeper  drains  are  located,  the  less 
danger  there  is  of  their  becoming  nests  for  these  animals  ; and  the 
greater  the  fall,  and  the  amount  of  running  water,  the  more  certain 
will  they  be  to  keep  clean  and  serviceable. 

Where  tile  is  used  in  a soil  that  has  veins  of  quicksand  open- 
ing in  the  sides  of  the  ditch,  it  should  be  laid  on  a board  bed,  and 
surrounded  and  covered  with  straight  straw,  and  then  with  coarse 
sand  (which  is  not  quicksand)  or  gravel  on  top  of  the  straw ; 
otherwise  the  quicksand  will  get  into,  and  clog  the  drain. 

There  is  considerable  choice  in  tiles.  One  should  be  willing 
to  pay  a little  extra  for  those  which  are  unusually  straight  and 
smooth,  as  well  as  hard.  In  good  clay-beds  the  round  tile,  which 
are  a trifle  the  cheapest,  answer  very  well,  but  the  “ sole-tile  ” — ■ 
those  which  have  a flat  bottom  and  a round  or  egg-shaped  tube — < 
are  better  for  most  kind  of  works,  the  latter  being  the  most 
perfect  form  of  all.  For  house-drains  of  considerable  importance, 
glazed  pipes,  which  fit  into  each  other  with  collars  around  the 
joints,  are  preferable.  These,  however,  are  not  used  so  much  for 
land  drainage  as  for  conduits  of  waste  water  from  the  house.  Where 
it  can  be  done  so  as  not  to  create  any  offensive  odor,  all  the 
water  wastage  from  the  house  which  contains  fertilizing  ingredients 
should  be  conducted  to  some  reservoir,  where,  by  mixing  it  with 
dry  earth,  or  diluting  it  with  pure  water,  it  may  be  returned  to 
{he  land. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


DWELLINGS,  OUTBUILDINGS,  AND  FENCES. 


******  You  shall  see  a man, 

Who  never  drew  a line  or  struck  an  arc, 
Direct  an  Architect  and  spoil  his  work, 
Because,  forsooth,  he  likes  a tasteful  house  ! 
He  likes  a muffin,  but  he  does  not  go 
Into  his  kitchen  to  instruct  his  cook ; 


Nay,  that  were  insult  ! He  admires  fine  clothes, 
But  trusts  his  tailor  ! Only  in  those  arts 
Which  issue  from  creative  potencies 
Does  his  conceit  engage  him.” 

Holland’s  Katrina. 


SO  many  excellent  works  have  been  published  of  late  years 
on  cottage  and  villa  architecture,  and  so  many  compe- 
tent architects  are  to  be  found  in  our  large  towns  and 
cities,  that  it  seems  almost  an  unpardonable  offence 
against  propriety  in  our  day  for  any  one  to  build  an  unsightly 


46  DWELLINGS,  OUTBUILDINGS, 

cottage  or  mansion.  If  the  reader  contemplates  building  a house, 
we  pray  him  to  lose  no  time  in  obtaining  and  carefully  reading 
some  of  these  works ; and  if  he  finds  in  them  a plan  and  exte- 
rior that  meet  his  wants,  let  him  entrust  no  illiterate  carpenter 
with  their  execution,  but  employ  some  competent  architect,  who 
will  furnish  all  the  drawings,  not  only  of  the  dwelling  itself,  but 
of  the  stable  and  all  the  outbuildings.  There  is  no  better  evi- 
dence of  a vulgar  taste,  or  an  exhausted  purse,  than  to  see  dwell- 
ings of  some  architectural  pretension  and  expensive  finish,  with 
rude  outbuildings,  having  no  resemblance  in  style  to  the  house,  and 
seeming,  by  their  incongruity,  to  say  to  every  passer — “You  see 
we  are  but  poor  relations.”  Decorating  the  street-front  of  the 
house  only,  or  robbing  the  outbuildings  to  add  finery  to  the  dwell- 
ing, belongs  to  the  same  class  of  mistakes  as  that  of  the  ostrich, 
which,  in  flying  from  danger,  seeks  a place  in  which  to  thrust  its 
head  only,  and  there  thinks  itself  safe  and  unseen.  Do  not  our 
friends,  who  think  their  outbuildings  of  little  importance,  reveal 
their  foolishness  in  the  same  way  ? 

There  is  an  unfortunate  tendency  among  our  countrymen  who 
are  building  houses,  to  be  willing  victims  of  some  fashionable 
mania  pertaining  to  architectural  styles ; so  that  different  eras  of 
style  in  domestic  architecture  can  be  distinctly  traced  throughout 
our  country  by  a multitude  of  examples  of  what  were,  in  their  day, 
called  houses  in  “ the  classic  styles,”  and  their  Doric,  Ionic,  and 
Corinthian  varieties  ; houses  in  “ the  Gothic  style,”  with  its  rustic 
Norman,  Tudor,  Elizabethan,  and  Castellated  varieties  ; houses  in 
“ the  Italian  style,”  with  bracketed,  Romanesque,  Lombard  and 
Swiss  varieties  ; and  lastly,  those  least  grotesque,  but  often  clumsy 
forms  for  small  houses,  “ the  French  or  Mansard-roof  style  ; ” — a 
title  that  does  not  even  assume  to  designate  a style  of  architecture 
for  an  entire  house,  but  fore-dooms  a dwelling  to  be  designed  for 
the  purpose  of  sustaining  a certain  fashionable  hood  of  roofs. 
Hardly  do  we  begin  to  adapt  one  style  or  another  to  our  needs  in 
building,  with  a tolerable  degree  of  fitness  and  good  taste,  before 
some  supposed  new  style,  or  novel  feature  of  an  old  style,  intrudes 
itself  as  “the  fashion,”  and  straightway  builders  throughout  the 
breadth  of  our  land  vie  with  each  other  in  numberless  caricatures 


AND  FENCES. 


47 


of  it.  That  new,  or  rather  unfamiliar  old  styles  are  constantly  being 
made  known  to  us  by  beautiful  photographic  prints  and  engravings 
of  the  most  remarkable  existing  architecture,  is  certainly  cause 
for  congratulation  ; but  the  misfortune  is  that  we  use  them  as  if 
their  mere  novelty,  in  whatever  form  adopted,  and  the  fact  of  their 
being  the  latest  mode,  were  alone  sufficient  evidence  of  their  fitness 
and  tastefulness.  We  forget  the  vast  difference  there  is  between 
obeying  the  behests  of  fashion  in  those  things  which  pertain  to 
articles  of  apparel  that  are  usually  worn  out  by  the  time  the  fashion 
changes,  and  building  houses  that  must  stand  for  many  years,  and 
which,  if  not  designed  so  as  to  be  truly  and  pleasingly  adapted  to 
the  use  intended,  without  any  reference  to  the  prevailing  mode,  will 
remain  objects  of  ridicule  for  all  the  period  of  their  duration  after 
their  style  has  ceased  to  be  fashionable. 

There  is  no  style  the  mere  adoption  of  which  will  secure  a taste- 
ful house  ; while  a truly  competent  architect  may  design  admirable 
houses  with  entire  disregard  of  the  formulas  of  established  styles, 
as  well  as  by  the  careful  study  and  adaptation  of  them.  The  style 
should  be  in  the  brain  and  culture  of  the  designer,  and  not  in  the 
age  or  associations  of  certain  imported  forms,  which  he  may  be  re- 
quested to  duplicate.  But  architects  usually  have  their  preferences 
in  styles.  They  will  be  likely  to  succeed  best  in  those  which  they 
like  best.  One  will  study  Gothic  more  thoroughly  than  Italian 
forms,  and  will  therefore  design  more  tastefully  in  the  spirit  of  the 
former.  Another  will  excel  in  Italian,  or  classic  forms  ; and 
another  still,  with  more  cosmopolitan  culture  and  creative  art,  with 
the  taste  to  produce  harmonious  proportions,  and  with  care  to  make 
a thorough  adaptation  of  the  means  to  the  end,  may  develop  most 
tasteful  and  appropriate  designs  with  little  reference  to  set  forms. 

The  persons  for  whom  a house  is  to  be  designed  are  usually  the 
best  judges  of  their  own  domestic  wants,  and  will  generally  furnish 
an  architect  with  the  rough  floor  plans  of  what  they  desire.  Good 
architects  will  studiously  conform  to  their  wishes  pertaining  to  the 
distribution  of  interior  comforts,  in  such  plans  ; but  when  it  comes 
to  the  matter  of  choosing  a style,  they  should  be  as  little  trammeled 
as  possible,  save  in  its  expense.  That  architects  occasionally  mislead 
those  who  are  about  to  build,  by  lower  estimates  of  the  cost  of  ex- 


48 


DWELLINGS,  OUTBUILDINGS, 


ecuting  their  designs  than  what  proves  to  be  the  actual  cost,  may  be 
true  ; but  we  have  found  that  such  complaints  are  apt  to  come  from 
those  who  had  not  given  the  architect  a full  and  frank  statement  of 
their  wants  and  their  limitations  ; and  oftener  still  from  those  who 
have  merely  consulted  with  an  architect,  obtained  a few  sketches, 
and  his  rough  guess  of  the  cost  of  what  the  proprietor  says  he  wants, 
and  endeavored  to  save  the  further  cost  of  full  sets  of  drawings 
and  specifications,  from  which  alone  an  architect  can  make  a true 
estimate.  Then,  after  working  up  their  plans  with  builders  to 
whom  the  work  is  intrusted  or  contracted,  and  altering  and  adding 
as  the  work  progresses,  if  they  find  the  total  cost  to  be  much  greater 
than  the  cost  suggested  by  the  architect,  the  latter  is  charged  with 
the  fault.  The  fact  is,  that  when  a man  fancies  he  can  be  his 
own  architect,  his  imagination  is  excited  by  the  possibility  of 
achieving  a great  many  pleasant  results  by  his  own  peculiarly 
fortunate  talents  ; and  in  endeavoring  to  realize  one  after  another 
of  his  desires,  the  building  enthusiasm  draws  him  so  gradually,  and 
by  so  many  unseen  currents  into  the  maelstrom  of  expense,  that  he 
rarely  realizes,  until  too  late,  the  quality  of  his  conceit  and  extrava- 
gance. We  believe  that  the  employment  of  an  honest  and  qualified 
architect  will  always  be  an  economy  to  the  employer,  and  that  to 
dictate  to  him  the  adoption  of  any  particular  style  because  just  then 
it  happens  to  be  the  rage,  is  a pretty  sure  way  to  secure  his  poorest, 
instead  of  his  best  designing. 

Another  matter  that  we  would  most  earnestly  impress  on  all  per- 
sons about  to  build  is  this  : that,  when  it  is  the  intention  to  employ 
an  architect,  he  should  be  given  months,  instead  of  days,  to  mature 
his  designs.  We  would  always  doubt  the  competence  of  that 
architect  who  prides  himself  on  throwing  off  designs  in  a hurry. 
Long  practice,  and  plethoric  portfolios,  may  greatly  facilitate  the 
rapidity  with  which  good  designs  can  be  matured,  but  it  is  never- 
theless true  that  all  designs  which  are  at  all  original  in  character, 
and  at  the  same  time  tasteful  and  harmonious,  are  the  result  of 
many  sketches,  and  careful  comparisons,  corrections  and  elimina- 
tions, which  can  only  be  made  when  ample  time  is  given.  Dwel- 
ling-houses of  moderate  cost  are  the  most  difficult,  in  proportion  to 
their  cost,  of  all  forms  of  architectural  designing  ; and  specifications 


AND  FENCES. 


49 


for  them  the  most  tedious  and  embarrassing.  A court-house, 
or  city-hall,  that  costs  a hundred  thousand  dollars,  will  give  an 
architect  no  more  thought,  nor  tax  his  creative  faculties  so  much, 
as  the  designing  of  an  original  and  tasteful  suburban  dwelling 
costing  not  more  than  one-tenth  that  sum.  It  is  therefore  very 
desirable  that  those  who  wish  to  have  houses  of  enduring  beauty 
should  give  themselves  and  their  architects  ample  time  to  mature 
the  plans. 

There  is  a world  of  expression  in  the  character  of  outbuildings 
that  is  little  thought  of  or  understood  in  this  country,  notwithstand- 
ing their  mere  conveniences  are  carefully  considered.  A stable 
and  carriage-house  should  be  one  of  the  attractive,  home-looking 
features  of  every  place  large  enough  to  require  them ; and,  if  prop- 
erly built  and  taken  care  of,  no  more  to  be  shut  out  of  sight  than 
your  house  chimneys.  What  more  pleasing  sight  than  to  glance 
over  a smooth  lawn,  under  tregs,  or  through  vistas  of  shrubbery,  to 
the  sunlit  open  space  around  the  carriage-house  door,  where  the 
horse  in  the  brightly-polished  “ buggy  ” stands  neighing  for  you,  or 
the  children  are  clustered  around  “our  pony” — while  doves  are 
cooing  in  their  little  house  above,  and  martins  and  swallows  twitter 
about  the  eaves,  up  to  which  luxuriant  grape-vines  clamber.  Ah,  the 
children  are  at  home  there ! One  has  not  learned  the  art  of  enjoy- 
ing home  till  he  knows  how  much  of  beauty  and  delight  there  may 
be  in  the  domestic  work-places,  and  buildings  set  apart  for  the  ani- 
mals that  serve  us.  The  English  are  much  more  generous  in  their 
tastes  in  this  respect  than  we.  An  English  lady  shows  her  stable, 
her*  horses,  cows,  pigs,  and  poultry,  with  the  same  pride  and  affec- 
tion for  her  animal  retinue  that  she  has  in  leading  you  through  the 
beauties  of  her  lawn  and  flowers. 

The  stable,  the  wood-shed,  the  well -house,  the  tool-room,  and 
all  needful  back  buildings,  should  be  ijiade  with  as  much  reference 
to  good  taste  in  their  design  as  the  dwelling,  and  should  all  have  the 
same  general  architectural  character.  The  style  and  keeping  of  all 
these  will  have  more  to  do  with  the  home-look  and  general  elegance 
of  a suburban  residence  than  any  amount  of  ponderous  or  super- 
fine carpentry,  masonry,  or  interior  decoration. 

4 


50 


DWELLINGS , 0 U T B U I L D I N G S , 


Color. 

The  color  of  houses  and  outbuildings  is  a subject  in  which 
fashion  has  ranged  widely  in  different  directions.  Twenty-five 
years  ago,  white,  white,  white,  everywhere  and  for  everything,  was 
“the  American  taste.”  Suddenly  the  absurdity  of  being  aiways 
dressed  in  white  struck  the  great  public,  and  parrots  of  fashion 
everywhere  echoed  remarks  about  “ garish  white,”  “neutral  tints,” 
“ subdued  tones,”  till  a mania  seized  whole  communities  to  paint 
wooden  houses,  cottages  and  all,  “ to  imitate  brown  stone !”  Every- 
thing of  wood  was  dismally  darkened  and  sanded,  and  brick  som- 
brely stuccoed  and  “blocked  off,”  as  if  we  were  ashamed  of  our 
best  materials,  and  must  needs  conceal  them.  Our  homes,  before 
sepulchrally  white,  and  garishly  brilliant,  were  then  crocked  and 
blackened  with  bogus  stone  colors.  The  most  beautiful  and  neces- 
sarily most  pleasing  of  all  colors  for  window-blinds,  which  harmo- 
nizes with  nearly  every  neutral  tint,  and  with  all  natural  objects — 
ever-beautiful  green — the  tenderest  and  most  welcome  of  all  colors 
to  the  delicate  eye,  was  thrust  aside  even  by  the  cultivated  taste 
of  Downing ; and  in  its  place  dull  brown  blinds,  and  yellow  blinds, 
and  verdigris-bronze  blinds,  were  the  fashion  and  “ in  taste.” 
Common  sense  and  common  eyesight  have  been  too  strong  for 
such  a fashion  to  endure  long,  and  green  again  greets  our  grateful 
eyes  on  cottage,  villa,  and  mansion  windows.  After  the  rage  for 
dark  colors,  the  reaction  carried  many  back  to  white  again,  but 
on  the  whole  the  color  of  our  houses  is  greatly  improving. 

In  choosing  colors,  the  proprietor  needs  to  guard  himself  from 
himself.  If  he  desires  some  color  different  from  any  which  the 
neighborhood  affords  an  example  of,  let  him  beware. of  trusting 
to  his  own  selection  of  paints  in  the  pot,  or  from  a specimen  patch 
on  the  house.  Both  will  deceive  him.  Colors  which  appear  to 
have  no  character  at  all  on  small  surfaces,  are  often  beautiful  when 
applied  to  an  entire  building ; while  the  tints  which  please  us  best 
in  samples  may  be  rank  and  vulgar  on  broad  surfaces.  After 
giving  a general  idea  of  what  is  wanted,  to  a skillful  painter,  it 
is  better  to  leave  the  exact  shade  to  him,  or  to  your  architect. 
They  may  fail  to  meet  your  wishes  exactly,  but  console  yourself 


AND  FENCES. 


51 


with  the  reflection  that  had  you  made  the  selections,  the  result 
might  have  been  worse  ! Between  dwelling,  outbuildings,  fences, 
garden  decorations,  &c.,  there  should  be  a strong  similarity  of 
tone,  though  the  depth  of  color  may  differ  materially.  A gray 
or  cool  drab-colored  house  should  not  have  a warm  brown  color 
for  its  outbuildings.  A cream -colored  house  should  have  its  out- 
buildings of  some  darker  shade,  in  which  yellow  is  just  perceptible 
as  one  of  its  constituent  parts.  In  places  where  they  are  much 
shaded  by  trees,  the  outbuildings  may,  without  impropriety,  be 
the  color  of  the  dwelling,  provided  the  latter  is  some  un-showy 
neutral  tint.  Shading  parts  of  the  buildings  with  different  colors 
is  practiced  with  beautiful  effect  by  good  painters,  but  the  proprie- 
tor is  here  again  warned  not  to  trust  to  his  own  skill  in  choosing 
colors. 

Fences. 

We  are  at  a loss  how  to  convey  just  ideas  of  the  choice  that 
should  be  made  among  the  infinite  variety  of  fences  in  our  coun- 
try without  writing  an  illustrated  essay.  For  country,  or  large  sub- 
urban grounds,  it  is  safe  to  say,  except  where  hedges  are  maintained, 
that  that  kind  of  fence  is  best  which  is  least  seen,  and  best  seen  through. 
But  in  towns  our  fences  must  harmonize  with  the  architecture  and 
more  elegant  finish  of  the  street,  and  therefore  be  sufficiently  well- 
designed  and  constructed  to  be  in  themselves  pleasing  objects  to  the 
passer-by.  The  great  desideratum  is  to  answer  this  requirement,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  adopt  some  design  that  will  least  conceal  the 
lawn  and  other  beauties  beyond  or  behind  it.  Our  fences  should 
be,  to  speak  figuratively,  transparent.  Now  what  will  make  a com- 
paratively transparent  fence  is  a matter  much  more  difficult  to 
decide  than  the  reader  will  suppose.  Where  iron  fences  can  be 
afforded,  it  is  easy  to  effect  the  desired  result ; but  they  are  so 
, expensive  that  wood  will  long  continue  to  be  the  main  fence 
material  even  in  towns.  Where  something  really  elegant  can  be 
afforded,  an  architect’s  services  should  be  called  into  requisition  as 
much  as  for  the  residence  design.  A fence  may  be  as  fine  a work 
of  art  as  any  other  construction,  but  the  architect  ought  to  bear 
in  mind  that  it  should  not  unnecessarily  conceal  the  beauty  it  en- 
closes. Among  the  less  expensive  kinds  of  fencing,  we  will  men- 


52 


DWELLINGS , OUTBUILDINGS, 


tion  a few  of  the  forms  generally  used.  First,  and  most  common 
of  all  fences  claiming  to  be  ornamental,  is  the  plain  picket  fence, 
made  of  strips  set  vertically  the  whole  height  of  the  fence,  and  from 
one  and  a half  inches  square  to  one  inch  by  three.  All  picket 
fences  shut  out  a view  of  the  ground  behind  them  until  one  is 
nearly  opposite  the  pickets,  as  completely  as  a tight  board  fence  of 
the  same  height.  An  old  and  ornamental  form  of  picket  fence  is 
that  composed  of  three  horizontal  rails,  with  two  equal  spaces  be- 
tween ; one  set  of  pickets  being  short,  and  terminated  in  points 
above  the  middle  rail,  while  every  other  one  rises  through  the  top 
rail  in  the  same  way.  This  gives  double  the  space  between  the 
pickets  on  the  upper  half  of  the  fence,  where  a transparent  fence 
is  most  indispensable.  It  is  the  best,  and  also  one  of  the  most 
expensive  of  the  old  forms  of  wooden  fences,  and  the  only  kind  of 
picket  fencing  that  should  be  tolerated  for  enclosing  ornamented 
grounds. 

Fences  formed  of  horizontal  rather  than  vertical  pieces  are 
preferable  ; and  the  openings  between  the  bars  should  be  as  wide 
as  insurance  against  animals  will  permit.  A substitute  for  the  old- 
style  of  picket  fences,  now  much  used,  is  composed  of  boards 
sawed  so  that  their  openings  form  ornamental  designs.  These, 
are  adopted  from  German  designs  for  cheap  balconies  and  veranda 
guards,  for  which  purposes  they  are  well  adapted  and  beautiful ; 
but  for  front  fences  they  are  even  more  objectionable  than  pickets, 
because  they  bar  more  completely  the  view  of  what  is  behind.  To 
unite  strength,  beauty,  and  “ transparency,”  is  the  object  to  be 
gained.  What  wooden  fences  will  best  do  this,  we  must  leave  to 
the  reader’s  ingenuity  and  good  sense  to  decide.  Those  who  build 
most  expensively  do  not  necessarily  secure  the  most  tasteful  places, 
and  in  fencing  there  is  much  opportunity  to  let  thought  balance 
money.  Some  very  pretty  rod-iron  fences  are  now  made,  both 
vertical  and  horizontal,  which  are  much  cheaper  than  woven  wire 
or  cast-iron  ; but  both  of  the  latter  being  always  at  hand  or  ready 
made  for  those  who  have  the  means  to  use  them,  will  probably  con- 
tinue to  increase  in  use.  The  tasteful  forms  in  which  iron  fences 
are  generally  made,  together  with  their  indestructible  character, 
will  continue  to  make  them  more  and  more  desirable.  Were  it  not 


AND  FENCES. 


53 


for  the  shameful  freedom  given  to  animals  in  many  town  and  village 
streets,  such  fences  might  be  made  so  much  lower  and  more  open 
than  now,  as  materially  to  lessen  their  cost.  If  the  reader  will  turn 
to  the  vignette  at  the  head  of  this  chapter,  he  will  see  a form  of 
iron  posts  and  rods  well  adapted  to  a suburban  place. 

We  would  suggest  that  all  fences,  not  of  a massive  character, 
should  have  an  open  space  under  them,  so  that  a scythe  may  pass 
clear  through.  No  person  should  consider  his  grounds  well  kept 
unless  the  sidewalk  in  front  or  around  his  premises,  is  as  neatly 
kept  as  the  part  within  the  enclosure.  An  open  space  under  the 
fence,  through  which  the  blade  of  a scythe  may  glide,  greatly  facili- 
tates the  mowing  of  the  lawn  on  both  sides  of  the  line. 

For  large  suburban  places,  we  would  suggest  that  a sod  fence, 
with  light  posts,  and  one  or  two  horizontal  bars  above  it,  may  be 

made  both  elegant  and  sufficient  as  a 
street  protection.  Fig.  io  represents  a 
section  of  the  fence  proposed,  the  dotted 
line  a a being  the  natural  surface.  The 
sod  should  be  laid  with  a slight  inclina- 
tion downwards  towards  the  centre  of 
the  fence,  so  that  rains  striking  the  sides 
will  have  a tendency  to  soak  into,  in- 
stead of  beins  shed  from  them.  If  the  sods  are  of  a soil  retentive 
of  moisture  (and  most  soils  which  grow  a good  sod  are),  the  sides 
of  the  fence,  if  kept  well  mowed,  will  make  a beautiful  low  green 
hedge.  In  very  dry  weather,  of  course,  such.,  fences  would  suffer 
and  turn  brown,  though  even  then  they  will  not  be  unsightly  if  their 
form  is  good.  If  water  and  watering  facilities  are  at  hand,  they 
may  be  kept  bright  at  all  seasons.  The  little  hollows  at  either  side 
must  also  be  kept  shaved  close,  and  will  add  to  the  beauty  of  the 
yard  by  giving  a slight  roll  in  the  surface  all  around  the  outside 
• boundary.  The  bottom  and  sides  of  the  hollows  should  be  made 
so  that  a hand  mowing-machine  can  run  upon  them  easily.  The 
right  side  of  the  section  was  intended  to  represent  a single  slope, 
and  the  left  side  a hollow  with  a level  bottom,  and  the  slope  carried 
farther  off.  The  latter  is  the  better  manner.  On  Fig.  n,  several 
bottom-lines  are  shown  t5  suit  different  requirements  in  making 


54 


DWELLINGS,  OUTBUILDINGS, 


fences  of  this  kind.  The  sod  fence  may  be  made  altogether  on 
top  of  the  natural  surface,  but  as  its  height  would  be  greater,  it 
might  be  too  serious  an  obstruction  to  views  of  the  grounds.  Low- 
ering the  ground  on  both  sides  will  generally  give  the  earth  and  sod 
required  for  such  a fence,  and  make  the  needful  height  for  pro- 
tection against  animals  without  barring  a view  of  the  grounds.  If 
jumping  animals  are  to  be  guarded  against,  it  may  be  well  to  insert 
posts  at  regular  distances  for  bars  across  their  tops,  as  shown  in  the 

Fig.  i i. 


same  cut,  and  to  use  vertical  pickets,  say  a foot  or  more  long,  through 
the  bars.  A picket  line  is  more  of  a terror  to  animals  than  a hori- 
zontal fence  of  the  same  height,  and  the  pickets  may  be  so  small  and 
wide  apart  as  not  to  intercept  views  upon  the  lawn  within.  Where 
cattle  are  not  allowed  in  the  street,  a single  bar  or  rail,  running 
from  post  to  post,  within  three  or  four  inches  of  the  top  of  the  sod, 
with  ornamental  iron  points  screwed  to  the  top,  will  make  a 
pleasing  enclosure.  There  is  a great  variety  of  such  castings  to 
choose  from.  Some  of  the  narrower  patterns  of  woven-wire  fencing 
would  have  an  admirable  effect  on  low  sod  fences.  The  reader’s 
ingenuity  will  doubtless  suggest  various  ways  of  improving  these 
hints  concerning  sod  fencing ; but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
fences  of  this  character  are  unsuited  to  the  use  of  those  who  do 
not  feel  disposed  to  give  them  the  constant  care  which  is  re- 
quired to  keep  a lawn  in  order  ; and  in  those  semi-civilized 
towns  where  hogs  are  allowed  at  large,  they  are  of  course  im- 
practicable. Where  it  is  desired  to  have  the  sod  fence  suffi- 
ciently high  to  be  a good  protection  against  cattle,  without  any 
posts  or  bars  above  them,  it  is  best  to  make  the  additional  height 
by  larger  and  deeper  excavations  on  each  side,  or  on  the  side  on 
which  the  height  is  most  needed.  A straight  slope  like  that  at  by 


AND  FENCES. 


55 


Fig.  ii,  is  easily  made  and  kept  clean  with  a scythe  or  machine; 
but  the  lower  double  lines  can  be  used,  where  a higher  fence  is 
needed,  provided  the  level  on  the  bottom  is  wide  enough  to  allow 
the  use  of  a scythe  or  hand-mowing  machine.  As  such  ridges  of 
turf  are  peculiarly  exposed  to  injury  from  excessive  cold,  it  is  re- 
commended, in  districts  where  evergreen  boughs,  especially  hem- 
lock, can  be  procured,  that  the  top  of  the  turf  be  covered  late 
in  the  fall.  Such  twigs  can  be  neatly  interlaced,  with  little  trouble, 
under  the  bar  above  the  turf,  so  as  to  form  an  evergreen  hedge 
through  the  winter,  and  the  snow  that  will  lodge  in  them  will  pro- 
tect the  bank  from  constant  heaving  by  freezing  and  thawing  in 
the  winter  and  early  spring,  and  give  the  grass  additional  vigor 
when  the  time  comes  to  uncover  it. 

These  sod  enclosures  are  illy  suited  to  form  front  fences  in  vil- 
lage neighborhoods,  and  are  suggested  solely  for  places  of  large 
extent,  and  with  rural  surroundings. 

With  regard  to  live  hedges,  some  cautions  are  needed.  The 
practice  of  hedging  one’s  ground  so  that  the  passer-by  cannot  enjoy 
its  beauty,  is  one  of  the  barbarisms  of  old  gardening,  as  absurd  and 
unchristian  in  our  day  as  the  walled  courts  and  barred  windows  of 
a Spanish  cloister,  and  as  needlessly  aggravating  as  the  close  veil 
of  Egyptian  women.  It  is  not  well,  generally,  to  plant  live  hedges 
bn  the  street  fronts  of  a town  or  suburban  residence.  On  larger 
places  they  are  * very  useful  and  beautiful  as  separating  screens 
between  the  decorated  ground  and  the  vegetable  garden,  or  hiding 


Fig.  12. 


portions  of  outbuildings,  or  as  a protection  for  fruit  yards  against 
injurious  winds ; but  as  a street  fence  for  town  or  suburban  resi- 
dences they  should  be  made  use  of  but  rarely.  There  are  other 


56 


DWELLINGS,  OUTBUILDINGS, 


places  enough  where  we  may  avail  of  all  their  beauties.  Fig.  12 
shows  a section  of  front  grounds  and  street  with  a hedge  on  the 
street  line.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  line  of  view  from  the  eye  of  a 
man  on  the  sidewalk,  over  the  top  of  the  hedge,  isolates  him  as  com- 
pletely from  the  view  of  the  grounds  as  a jail  wall  • and  even  from 
a carriage,  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  one  can  see  but  little  more. 

A word,  in  conclusion,  about  gateways  and  gate-posts.  Showy 
posts  of  carpentry  or  masonry,  which  are  not  of  solid  wood  or  solid 
stone,  or  which  are  made  higher  than  the  general  character  of  the 
fence  calls  for,  are  apt  to  seem  pretentious.  A gateway,  whether 
for  a carriage  road  or  a walk,  should  always  be  marked  in  some 
way,  so  that  one  will  know  at  a glance,  and  at  some  distance,  just 
where  the  entrance  is.  This  is  generally  and  properly  done  by 
making  the  gate-posts  conspicuous,  either  by  their  size  or  their 
finish.  But  it  is  easy  to  overdo,  by  giving  them  a cheap  showiness 
or  massiveness  disproportionate  to  their  importance.  Stone  is  far 
more  beautiful  than  any  other  material  for  posts,  and  for  the  gate- 
ways of  walks  should  be  used  in  simple  forms  and  of  single 
blocks,  if  it  can  be  afforded.  Or,  after  making  a suitable  founda- 
tion of  cheaper  stone,  the  part  above  ground  may  be  a single  block 
of  sufficient  weight  not  to  be  jarred  on  its  foundation  by  the  ordinary 
use  of  the  gates.  It  is  riot  necessary  that  the  two  gate-posts  be  alike. 
The  one  upon  which  a gate  is  swung  requires  to  be  far  heavier  than 
the  one  into  which  it  latches,  and  it  will  not  be  “ out  of  taste  ” to 
make  the  size  of  each  conform  to  its  use,  and  to  economize  by 
making  one  heavy  post  instead  of  two.  Children  will  swing  on 
gates  in  spite  of  all  warnings,  and  the  gates  must  be  hung  so  that 
they  will  bear  the  strain.  To  insure  this  solidity,  great  weight 
is  required,  or  else  the  post  must  be  very  thoroughly  bedded  in 
the  ground.  There  is  much  less  strain  on  the  post  into  which 
the  gate  catches,  and  therefore  no  need  of  making  it  of  the  same 
weight  and  expense.  In  making  the  suggestion  that  it  is  not  ne- 
cessary to  have  the  opposite  posts  of  the  gateway  fac-similes  of 
each  other,  it  must  not  be  understood  that  there  is  any  impropriety 
in  it,  but  only  that  the  means  are  best  adapted  to  the  end  when  the 
one  which  is  most  heavily  taxed  shall  be  provided  first  to  meet  the 
calls  upon  it.  For  gateways  on  drives  it  is  not  always  practicable 


AND  FENCES. 


57 


to  obtain  single  blocks  of  sufficient  weight  to  resist  the  constant 
strain  of  a long  gate.  Single  gates  being  preferable  to  double  ones 
for  this  purpose,  the  posts  to  which  such  gates  are  hung  should 
have  marked  importance,  and  may,  with  propriety,  be  of  block  ma- 
sonry, or  of  brick,  with  stone  caps  and  binding  layers  ; and  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  mere  height  and  size,  for  the  purpose  of  ren- 
dering them  conspicuous,  is  not  the  true  object,  but  that  weight  and 
tasteful  forms  are  required.  The  facility  with  which  slender  wood 
posts  can  be  encased  with  heavy  shells  of  carpentry,  has  had  a bad 
influence  in  substituting  showiness  for  solidity ; yet  it  is  also  true 
that  much  real  beauty  of  form  and  effect  is  obtained  by  casing 
posts  with  joiner’s  work,  at  a small  expense  compared  with  what  is 
required  £y  the  use  of  heavy  timber  or  stone.  Each  man’s  neces- 
sities and  culture  must  be  the  law  to  himself  in  this  matter.  The 
post  in  the  vignette  at  the  head  of  this  Chapter  is  a fair  example  of 
a simple  and  unpretending  form  of  stone  post.  There  are  few  mat- 
ters in  which  the  taste  of  the  proprietor,  or  his  architect,  may  be 
more  pleasingly  illustrated  than  in  the  designs  for  stone  gate-posts. 
In  putting  in  posts  of  wood  or  single  blocks  of  stone  deep  in  the 
ground,  the  hole  around  them  should  be  filled  with  sand,  and  espe- 
cial care  should  be  used  to  have  the  bottom  firm  and  solidly 
bedded  before  filling  more  than  a few  inches  ; the  top  of  the  stone 
should  then  be  fastened  in  place  by  bracks  until  the  filling  is  com- 
pleted. It  is  desirable  that  the  part  of  a stone  below  the  surface 
of  the  ground  increase  in  size  like  a wedge,  with  the  largest  end 
down,  for  if  the  stone  is  the  reverse  in  form,  that  is  to  say,  a wedge 
with  the  point  down,  it  then  forms  a shoulder  against  which  the 
earth  in  swelling,  as  it  does  by  freezing,  will  inevitably  heave  the 
post  upwards.  Iron  gate-posts,  arched  over  like  those  shown  by 
Fig.  184,  and  covered  with  wire,  are  charming  for  village-lot  en- 
trances, though  less  expressive  of  solidity  and  homeliness  than 
stone.  Even  for  an  iron  fence,  the  contrast  between  the  low  mas- 
siveness of  well-designed  stone  gateways,  and  the  lightness  of  iron 
work,  is  quite  pleasing.  And  if  these  stone  posts  are  used  only 
for  gateways  (and  we  think  it  better  not  to  use  them  anywhere  on 
a front  except  for  gateways  and  street  corners),  they  become  the 
most  prominent  feature  of  the  street  front.  There  is  no  end  to 


58 


DWELLINGS,  OUTBUILDINGS, 


Fig.  13.  charming  architectural  combinations  for 

gateways,  but  it  will  not  do  on  a place 
which  has  not  otherwise  a highly  architect- 
ural character,  to  “ make  it  up  ” on  the  gate- 
way. 

On  places  where  solid  constructive  dec- 
orations cannot  be  afforded,  we  advise  the 
use  of  topiary  work,  by  which  is  meant  the 
fanciful  forms  sometimes  given,  by  cutting 
and  trimming,  to  verdant  arbors,  thickets,  trees,  and  hedges. 

There  are  many  species  of  evergreens  which 
may  be  planted  on  each  side  of  the  gateways 
of  ordinary  foot-walks  so  as  to  be  made  into 
charming  arches  over  the  entrance.  With 
patience  and  annual  care,  these  can  be  per- 
fected within  about  ten  years,  but  they  will 
also  afford  most  pleasing  labor  from  the 
beginning ; and  the  infantile  graces  of  the 
trees,  which  are  year  by  year  to  be  devel- 
oped into  verdant  arches,  will  probably  af- 
ford quite  as  much  pleasure  in  their  early 
growth  as  in  their  perfected  forms.  In  the 
descriptions  of  the  trees  which  are  suitable 
for  this  kind  of  topiary  work,  the  mode  of  managing  them  will 
be  noted  in  detail.  We  here  introduce  the 
same  cuts  to  give  a'  hint  of  the  effect  in- 
tended, though,  when  well  grown,  such  arches 
are  far  more  beautiful  than  our  engraving 
can  even  suggest.  Fig.  13  shows  a pair  of 
hemlocks  planted  inside  of  a gateway,  and 
grown  to  a height  of  10  to  12  feet,  and  only 
trimmed  on  the  inside.  Fig.  14  shows  the 
effect  at  the  end  of  ten  years — the  tops  of 
the  two  trees  having  been  twisted  together  so 
as  to  grow  as  one  tree  over  the  centre  of  the 
arch,  and  all  parts  trimmed  year  by  year  to 
the  form  illustrated.  Fig.  15  shows  the  effect 


AND  FENCES. 


59 


* 


that  may  be  produced  from  the  same  trees  by  permitting  the  main 
stems  to  keep  their  upright  direction,  and  forming  the  arch  by  en- 
couraging and  uniting  the  growth  of  the  inner  branches  at  the 
proper  height.  Where  evergreens  are 
to  be  planted  for  this  purpose,  the 
fence  should  curve  inwards  to  the 
gate,  as  shown  by  the  transverse  sec- 
tion (Fig.  1 6),  so  that  trees  designed 
to  form  the  arch  can  be  planted  on 
a line  with  the  posts,  and  two  or  three  feet  from  them.  All  this 
topiary  work  may  be  a substitute  for  expensive  gateways,  or  it 
may,  with  equal  propriety,  be  introduced  as  an  accessory  deco- 
ration, where  the  posts  are  not  of  a massive,  or  highly  ornate 
character.  In  the  latter  case,  whatever  beauty  of  design  and 
workmanship  has  been  wrought  out  in  stone  should  not  be  delib- 
erately concealed  by  such  forms  of  verdure. 


» 


CHAPTER  VI  I. 

NEIGHBORING  IMPROVEMENTS. 

Small  is  the  worth  of  beauty  from  the  light  retired.” — Tennyson. 

THERE  is  no  way  in  which  men  deprive  themselves  of 
what  costs  them  nothing  and  profits  them  much,  more 
than  by  dividing  their  improved  grounds  from  their 
neighbors,  and  from  the  view  of  passers  on  the  road, 
by  fences  and  hedges.  The  beauty  obtained  by  throwing  front 
grounds  open  together,  is  of  that  excellent  quality  which  enriches 


NEIGHBORING  IMPROVEMENTS. 


61 


all  who  take  part  in  the  exchange,  and  makes  no  man  poorer. 
As  a merely  business  matter  it  is  simply  stupid  to  shut  out, 
voluntarily,  a pleasant  lookout  through  a neighbor’s  ornamental 
grounds.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  such  opportunities  are  improved, 
and  made  the  most  of,  no  gentleman  would  hesitate  to  make 
return  for  the  privilege  by  arranging  his  own  aground  so  as  to 
give  the  neighbor  equally  pleasing  vistas  into  or  across  it.  It 
is  unchristian  to  hedge  from  the  sight  of  others  the  beauties  of 
nature  which  it  has  been  our  good  fortune  to  create  or  secure ; 
and  all  the  walls,  high  fences,  hedge  screens  and  belts  of  trees 
and  shrubbery  which  are  used  for  that  purpose  only , are  so  many 
means  by  which  we  show  how  unchristian  and  unneighborly  we 
can  be.  It  is  true  these  things  are  not  usually  done  in  any 
mere  spirit  of  selfishness  : they  are  the  conventional  forms  of 
planting  that  come  down  to  us  from  feudal  times,  or  that  were 
necessary  in  gardens  near  cities,  and  in  close  proximity  to  populous 
neighborhoods  with  rude  improvements  and  ruder  people.  It  is  a 
peculiarity  of  English  gardens,  which  it  is  as  unfortunate  to  follow 
as  it  would  be  to  imitate  the  surly  self-assertion  of  English  travel- 
ling-manners. An  English  garden  is  “ a love  of  a place  ” to  get 
into,  and  an  Englishman’s  heart  is  warm  and  hospitable  at  his  own 
fire-side  ; but  these  facts  do  not  make  it  less  uncivil  to  bristle  in 
strangers’  company,  or  to  wall  and  hedge  a lovely  garden  against 
the  longing  eyes  of  the  outside  world.  To  hedge  out  deformities 
is  well  ; but  to  narrow  our  own  or  our  neighbor’s  views  of  the  free 
graces  of  Nature  by  our  own  volition,  is  quite  another  thing.  We 
have  seen  high  arbor-vitae  hedges  between  the  decorated  front 
grounds  of  members  of  the  same  family,  each  of  whose  places  was 
well  kept,  and  necessary  to  complete  the  beauty  of  the  other  and 
to  secure  to  both  extensive  prospects  ! It  seems  as  if  such’ persons 
wish  to  advertise  to  every  passer,  “my  lot  begins  here,  sir,  and 
ends  there,  sir,”  and  might  be  unhappy  if  the  dividing  lines  were 
not  accurately  known.  “ High  fences  make  good  neighbors,”  is  a 
saying  often  repeated  by  persons  about  walling  themselves  in. 
The  saying  has  some  foundation  in  fact.  Vinegar  and  soda,  both 
•good  in  their  way,  are  better  kept  in  separate  vessels.  If  a man 
believes  himself  and  his  family  to  be  bad  neighbors,  certainly  they 


62 


NEIGHBORING  IMPROVEMENTS. 


ought  to  fence  themselves  in,  thoroughly.  Or  if  they  have  reason 
to  believe  their  neighbors  are  of  the  same  sort,  they  may  well  be 
sure  of  the  height  and  strength  of  the  divisions  between  them. 
But  we  prefer  to  imagine  the  case  reversed ; and  that  our  neigh- 
bors are  kindly  gentlemen  and  women,  with  well-bred  families,  who 
can  enjoy  the  views  across  others’  grounds  without  trespassing  upon 
them.  These  remarks  are  intended  to  apply  to  those  decorative 
portions  of  home-grounds  which,  in  this  country,  and  especially  in 
suburban  neighborhoods,  are  usually  in  front  of  the  domestic  offices 
of  the  house.  The  latter  must  necessarily  be  made  private  and 
distinct  from  each  other.  One  of  the  most  fertile  sources  of  disa- 
greements between  families  having  grounds  opening  together,  are 
incursions  of  boisterous  children  from  one  to  another.  Now  it  is 
suggested  that  children  may  be  trained  to  respect  and  stop  at  a 
thread  drawn  across  a lawn  to  represent  a boundary,  just  as  well  as 
at  a stone  wall.  Every  strong  high  barrier  challenges  a spirited 
boy’s  opposition  and  enterprise,  but  what  costs  no  courage  or 
strength  to  pass,  and  a consciousness  of  being  where  he  don’t  be- 
long,  generally  makes  him  ashamed  to  transgress  in  such  directions. 
A well-defined  line  will,  in  most  cases,  be  all  that  is  necessary. 
This  may  be  simply  a sunk  line  in  the  grass,  as  shown  at  a,  Fig.  17, 

Fig.  17. 
nuns# 

or  it  may  be  a row  of  low,  small  cedar  or  iron  posts,  with  a chain  or 
wires  running  from  one  to  another,  or  some  very  low,  open,  and  light 
design  of  woven-wire  fencing ; anything,  in  short,  which  will  leave 
the  eye  an  unbroken  range  of  view,  and  still  say  to  the  children, 
“thus  far  shalt  thou  go,  and  no  farther.”  If  parents  on  both  sides 
of  the  line  do  their  duty  in  instructing  the  children  not  to  trespass 
on  contiguous  lawns,  less  trouble  will  result  from  that  cause  than 
from  the  bad  feelings  engendered  by  high  outside  boundary  walls, 
that  so  often  become  convenient  shields  to  hide  unclean  rubbish 
and  to  foster  weeds. 

An  interesting  result,  that  may  be  reached  by  joining  neighbor- 
ing improvements,  is  in  equalizing  the  beauties  of  old  and  new 
places.  Suppose  B.  has  bought  an  open  lot  between  A.  and  C., 
who  have  old  places.  The  grounds  of  A.,  we  will  suppose,  are 


NEIGHBORING  IMPROVEMENTS. 


63 


filled,  in  old  village  style,  with  big  cherry  trees,  maples,  lilacs, 
spruce  trees,  ^roses,  and  annuals;  and  C.’s  grounds  may  have  a 
growth  of  noble  old  trees,  which  had  invited  a house  to  make  its 
home  there.  Between  the  two  is  Mr.  B.’s  bare  lot,  on  which  he 
builds  a “ modern  house,”  which  is,  of  course,  the  envy  of  the  older 
places.  But  Mr.  B.  and  his  family  sigh  for  the  old  forest  trees  on 
the  right,  and  the  flowers,  and  verdure,  and  fruit  trees  on  the  left. 
Not  having  them  to  begin  with,  we  advise  him  to  make  a virtue  of 
necessity,  and  cause  his  neighbors  to  envy  him  the  superior  open- 
ness and  polish  of  his  own  grounds.  A.  has  a yard  cluttered  with 
the  valuable  accumulations  of  years  ; a fine  variety  of  trees,  shrubs, 
and  flowers;  yet  nothing  shows  to  advantage.  The  shade,  the 
multiplicity  of  bushes,  the  general  intertanglement  of  all,  make  it 
very  difficult  to  grow  a close  turf,  and  keep  it  mown  as  a lawn. 
Mr.  B.,  on  the  other  hand,  can  begin,  as  soon  as  his  ground  is 
enriched  and  set  to  grass,  to  perfect  it  by  constant  cutting  and 
rolling  till  it  is  a sheet  of  green  velvet.  Cut  in  the  lawn,  here 
and  there  near  his  walks,  small  beds  for  low  and  brilliant  flowers 
may  sparkle  with  sunny  gayety  ; at  the  intersection  of  walks,  or 
flanking  or  fronting  the  entrances,  low  broad-top  vases  (rustic  or 
classic,  as  the  character  of  the  house  or  their  position  may  require) 
may  be  placed,  filled  with  a variety  of  graceful  and  brilliant  plants. 
In  two  or  three  years,  if  Mr.  B.  shall  thus  have  made  the  most  of 
his  open  ground,  ten  chanfces  to  one  both  of  the  neighbors  will  be 
envying  the  -superior  beauty  of  the  new  place.  It  will,  probably, 
really  be  the  most  charming  of  the  three  ; not,  however,  by  virtue  of 
its  open  lawn  alone,  but  by  the  contrast  which  his  neighbor’s  crowded 
yard  on  one  side,  and  the  forest  trees  on  the  other,  serve  to  produce. 
Each  of  their  places  forms  a back-ground  for  his  lawn ; while,  if  the 
three  places  are  allowed  to  open  together,  his  lawn  is  a charming 
outlook  from  the  shades  of  theirs.  Neither  one  of  these  places  would, 
alone,  make  landscape  beauty  ; yet  the  three  may  make  channing  com- 
binations from  every  point  of  view.  Every  home  needs  some  fruit 
trees,  and  a shadowy  back-ground,  or  flanking,  of  noble  forest  trees, 
which  Mr.  B.  would  desire  to  have  started  as  soon  as  possible ; 
but  with  such  adjoining  improvements  as  we  have  described,  he 
should  preserve  the  distinctive  elegance  of  his  front  grounds,  and 


« 


64 


NEIGHBORING  IMPROVEMENTS. 


leave  them  as  open  and  sunny  as  possible.  If,  however,  B.’s 
bare  lot  stood  unflanked  by  old  trees  or  old  places,  then  his  aim 
should  be  materially  changed,  and  a few  large  treses,  and  some 
shrubbery,  would  enter  into  his  designs  for  planting.  Though 
farther  on  we  shall  endeavor  to  impress  again  the  necessity  of  re- 
straint in  choosing  but  few  among  the  thousands  of  trees,  shrubs, 
and  flowers  that  are  offered  to  every  planter,  it  is  appropriate  that, 
in  this  chapter  on  Neighboring  Improvements,  we  should  also  sug- 
gest to  planters  how  very  few  of  all  the  sylvan  and  floral  treasures 
that  beautify  the  surface  of  the  globe,  each  one’s  half  acre  or  five 
acres  can  comfortably  accommodate.  As  every  city  has  its  hun- 
dreds or  thousands  of  good  and  charming  people,  whose  acquaint- 
ance we  may  never  have  time  to  make,  we  very  sensibly  confine 
our  companionship  to  a few  congenial  families,  in  whose  intimate 
friendliness  we  have  much  more  pleasure  than  if  we  were  to 
“ spread  too  thin  ” in  efforts  to  embrace  an  entire  community. 
Just  so  with  the  populous  best  society  in  the  community  of  trees, 
to  whose  members  the  citizen  is  about  to  be  introduced.  He  had 
better  abandon  the  idea  of  domesticating  them  all  into  his  home 
circle.  He  may  even  leave  scores  of  the  best  families  out  entirely, 
and  still  have  all  that  he  can  well  entertain  and  cultivate.  But  by 
means  of  neighborhood  association  in  improvements,  the  neighbor- 
hood, as  a whole,  may  furnish  examples  of  almost  every  kind  of 
vegetable  beauty  that  the  climate  admits  of.  Suppose,  for  instance, 
that  a dozen  neighbors,  known  as  A.  to  L.  respectively,  have  each 
an  acre  to  devote  to  decorative  planting.  Laid  out  in  the  old  way, 
with  the  stereotype  allowance  of  evergreens,  deciduous  trees,  and 
shrubs,  they  would,  as  plantations,  have  but  little  more  interest 
after  one  was  seen  than  duplicate  copies  of  a book  that  we  have 
done  with.  But  if  A.  shall  conclude  to  make  the  pines  and  birches 
his  specialty,  and  procure  all  the  varieties  that  are  pleasing  to  the 
eye,  which  grow  well  in  our  climate,  and  arrange  them  around  his 
home  under  the  direction  of  some  intelligent  planter  who  knows 
the  best  locations  for  each,  he  will  find,  at  the  end  of  ten  years, 
that  his  place  will  be  a distinguished  one.  He  will  have  about 
fifty  varieties  of  hardy  pines  to  choose  from,  among  which  from  ten 
to  twenty  are  trees  of  great  beauty ; and  the  beautiful  birches  will 


NEIGHBORING  IMPROVEMENTS. 


65 


sparkle  among  them  as  well  set  jewels.  The  pines  will  em- 
brace a variety  of  sizes  and  forms,  from  the  graceful  and  lofty  white 
pine  of  our  forests,  and  the  much  larger  pines  of  California  and 
Oregon,  down  to  interesting  bushy  dwarfs,  which  do  not  exceed  the 
lilac  in  size.  Making  a specialty  of  the  pine  and  the  birch  fami- 
lies will  not  prevent  A.  from  having  a due  proportion  of  open 
lawn,  and  a small  variety  of  the  finest  flowering  shrubs  and  flowers, 
proportioned  to  the  size  of  his  lawn. 

Now  we  will  suppose  Mr.  B.  is  his  next  neighbor,  and  that  he 
chooses  to  make  the  maple  tree  his  specialty.  No  one  familiar 
with  the  almost  endless  number  of  varieties  of  the  maple,  foreign 
as  well  as  native,  with  all  their  diversity  of  growth  and  wealth  of 
foliage,  with  their  spring  loveliness  and  autumn  glories,  their  clean- 
liness and  their  thrift,  can  for  a moment  doubt  the  beauty  that 
might  be  produced  under  proper  management  on  Mr.  B.’s  acre.  A 
few  trees,  but  a few,  of  more  irregular  outlines,  should  be  admitted 
as  a foil  to  the  compacter  maples. 

Next  Mr.  C.  must  choose  his  favorites.  Supposing  his  house 
to  be  of  some  unpicturesque  style,  he  may  take  the  different  species 
and  varieties  of  the  horse-chestnut,  sEsculus , and  the  common 
chestnut,  Castanea.  At  certain  seasons  of  the  year  his  place  would 
be  unrivalled  in  display  of  flowers  and  foliage. 

If  D.  will  take  the  oak,  he  will  not  find  his  acre  large 
enough  to  accommodate  one-half  of  the  hardy  and  beautiful  varie- 
ties which  are  natives  of  his  own  country  alone.  But  as  the  oak  is 
rather  slow  in  developing  its  best  traits,  Mr.  D.  would  be  wise  to 
find  a site  for  his  specialty  on  which  some  varieties  of  oak  have 
already  attained  good  size. 

The  elms,  with  some  other  trees  that  contrast  well  with  them, 
will  furnish  a beautiful  variety  for  E. 

Mr.  F.  may  make  trees  of  gorgeous  autumn  foliage  his  speci- 
alty, and,  while  surrounded  by  some  of  the  loveliest  of  spring  and 
summer  trees,  may  have  his  place  all  aglow  in  September  and  Oc- 
tober with  the  dogwood,  the  liquidamber,  the  pepperidge  or  tupe- 
lo,  the  sassafras,  the  sugar,  scarlet,  and  Norway  maples,  the  scarlet 
oak,  and  many  others. 

If  G.  will  make  a specialty  of  lawn,  shrubs,  and  flowers  alone, 

5 


66 


NEIGHBORING  1 31 P R O VEMENTS. 


among  a thousand  beauties  he  can  hardly  fail  to  make  an  in- 
teresting collection. 

H.  may  have  a predilection  for  spruces,  hemlocks,  and 
spiry-top  trees,  and  make  the  evergreens  of  those  forms,  and  the 
deciduous  trees  that  harmonize  with  them,  his  specialty.*  But 
care  must  be  used  not  to  render  the  place  gloomy  with  their  too 
great  abundance. 

I.  will  not  have  any  species  in  particular,  but  loves  those 
trees,  of  whatever  species,  which  spread  low  and  broadly,  but  clear 
above  the  lawn ; like  the  apple-tree,  the  mulberry,  the  horse-chest- 
nut, the  catalpas  and  paulonias,  the  white  oak,  the  beech,  and  some 
varieties  of  the  thorn. 

J.  admires  the  classic  formalities  of  the  old  French  style  of 
gardening,  and  prefers  trees  and  shrubs  that  will  bear  clipping 
well,  and  grow  naturally  or  artificially  into  symmetric  and  for- 
mal shapes ; with  straight  walks  and  architectural  decorations. 
In  close  neighborhoods,  and  on  well-improved  streets,  architectural 
gardening  is  the  most  elegant  of  all,  but  requires  much  money 
for  constructions,  which,  if  not  thorough  and  tastefully  complete, 
were  better  not  attempted. 

K.  wishes  a place  full  of  graceful  forms,  and  will  use  those 
trees  which  will  best  carry  out  his  idea.  His  walks  must  be  ser- 
pentine ; his  trees  weeping  varieties,  both  deciduous  and  evergreen, 
of  which  the  variety  in  form  and  character  is  such  as  to  enable 
him  to  make  a most  picturesque  as  well  as  graceful  collection. 

L.  has  a special  admiration  for  trees  of  exotic  or  tropical  ap- 
pearance, and  if  his  soil  is  deeply  drained f rich , and  warm,  the  mag- 

* Spiry-topped  evergreens,  like  the  balsam  fir  or  Norway  spruce,  are  rather  impracticable  to 
make  entire  plantations  of  on  any  place.  Their  forms  are  too  monotonous,  and  their  shadows  too 
meagre,  to  be  used  with  the  same  careless  profusion  near  a dwelling  that  we  may  employ  broadly- 
overhanging  trees,  like  the  elms,  oaks,  pines,  and  maples.  Such  evergreens  are  planted  quite  too 
much  already  ; many  fine  places  having  been  rendered  most  gloomy  by  their  great  abundance.  A 
specialty  of  this  kind  would,  therefore,  be  “ stale  and  unprofitable,”  unless  made  with  great  skill. 

t By  deeply-drained,  we  do  not  mean  the  draining  of  a foot  below  the  surface,  but  at  least  four 
feet,  so  that  the  large  roots  of  trees  will  be  invited  to  penetrate  into  the  substratum,  which  is  never 
cold  to  the  freezing  point,  and  from  which  the  roots  of  trees  form  conductors  to  the  branches 
above,  and  thus  serve  to  modify  the  rigors  of  the  upper  air  by  the  warmth  of  the  earth  below  the 
frost.  If  one  will  but  think  of  the  difference  in  winters’  coldest  days,  between  riding  all  day  with 
warm  blocks  to  the  feet,  or  without  them,  he  can  appreciate  the  argument  for  inviting  trees  to  root 
deeply  in  the  earth’s  warm  substratum. 


NEIGHBORING  IMPROVEMENTS . 


07 


nolias,  catalpas,  paulonia,  mulberries,  and  ailanthus,  with  some 
evergreens  of  rounded  forms,  will  make  an  interesting  collection. 

We  have  here  named  a dozen  places,  with  each  a specialty. 
Now,  it  is  to  be  clearly  understood  that  the  nature  of  the  locality, 
the  form  of  the  ground,  the  peculiarities  of  the  soil,  and  the  archi- 
tecture of  the  house,  are  all  to  be  taken  into  consideration  before 
deciding  what  species  of  planting  to  make  the  specialty  of  any  one 
home.  It  would  be  ridiculous  to  plant  weeping  willows  on  a dry, 
bald  site,  or  gloomy  balsam  firs  on  a sunny  slope,  or  a collection  of 
spiry  evergreens  alone  on  a level  lawn,  or  in  juxtaposition  with 
masses  of  round-headed  trees,  like  maples  and  horse-chestnuts. 
All  the  surrounding  circumstances  must  govern  the  choice ; and 
neighbors  should  consult  together  with  competent  advisers,  as  far 
as  practicable,  before  determining  what  each  will  plant,  so  as  to 
make  contiguous  grounds  harmonize,  as  well  as  add  to  the  variety 
of  each  other’s  grounds. 

To  be  repeating  the  same  round  of  common  favorite  trees  in 
one  place  after  another,  on  a fine  suburban  street,  is  to  lose  much 
of  the  varied  beauty  which  would  result  from  each  planter  making 
thorough  work  in  some  one  specialty  of  arboriculture.  To  employ 
an  artist  in  landscape  gardening  to  design  all  the  places  that  adjoin 
each  other,  with  reference  to  a distinctive  characteristic  for  each, 
and  a happy  blending  of  the  beauty  of  all,  would,  of  course,  be  the 
most  certain  way  to  secure  satisfactory  results.  It  will  be  found,  as 
we  grow  more  intelligent  in  such  matters,  that  it  is  quite  as  essen- 
tial tOL  the  beauty  of  our  home-grounds  to  commit  their  general 
arrangement  to  professional  artists,  and  to  be  as  absolutely  re- 
stricted to  their  plans,  as  it  has  been  in  the  management  of  ceme- 
teries. So  long  as  each  lot-owner  can  plant  and  form  his  lot  to 
suit  himself  alone,  whatever  his  taste  may  be,  such  grounds  will  be 
but  a medley  of  deformities.  To  insure  a high  order  of  beauty  in 
neighboring  improvements,  all  planting  must  be  done  under  some 
one  competent  direction.  The  result  of  this  is  seen  in  our  beauti- 
ful modern  cemeteries.  A similar  subordination  of  individual  fan- 
cies to  a general  plan,  in  a community  of  neighboring  grounds, 
may  develop  like  results. 


G8 


NEIGHBORING  IMPROVEMENTS . 


Street  Trees. 

The  subject  of  street  trees  comes  properly  under  the  head  of 
neighboring  improvements.  It  might  be  inferred,  from  the  modes 
of  planting  recommended  in  the  preceding  pages,  that  a variety  of 
trees  will  be  recommended  for  one  street  in  preference  to  a single 
sort.  On  the  contrary,  the  effect  is  much  better,  on  a straight 
street  or  road,  to  have  an  avenue  composed  of  a single  species  of 
tree  only.  To  attempt  the  varieties  of  park  scenery  on  an  avenue 
is  as  much  out  of  place  as  to  compose  a park  of  straight  rows  of 
trees.  There  ought  to  be  but  one  variety  of  street  tree  on  the 
same  block,  at  least,  and  the  longer  the  continuity  is  kept  up  the 
nobler  will  be  the  effect:  Street  trees  are  usually  planted  quite  too 

close  together.  For  wide  avenues  (where  alone  such  great  spread- 
ing trees  as  the  elm,  sycamore,  silver  maple,  and  silver  poplar 
should  be  planted),  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  apart  is  near  enough, 
and  thirty  feet  is  the  least  distance  that  any  street  trees  should  be 
planted  from  each  other.  The  finest  deciduous  trees  are  those 
already  most  commonly  planted — elms,  maples,  and  horse-chest- 
nuts. The  white  pine  is  a noble  street  tree,  very  little  used.  It 
deserves  to  be ; but  as  it  must  be  planted  of  smaller  size  than  the 
deciduous  trees,  in  order  to  do  well,  and  therefore  requires  box  pro- 
tection during  a greater  number  of  years,  it  should  only  be  planted 
where  such  protection  is  sure  to  be  given.  No  trees  should  be 
planted,  in  streets,  which  do  not  come  early  into  leaf,  or  which  have 
disagreeable  blossoms,  or  which  bear  nuts  or  eatable  fruit,  or  the 
leaves  of  which  are  subject  to  worms,  or  do  not  drop  promptly  and 
dry  after  the  first  severe  autumn  frosts.  The  different  varieties  of 
the  maple,  the  horse-chestnut,  the  weeping  elm,  and  the  English 
and  Scotch  elms,  all  unite  to  a great  extent  the  best  qualities  for 
street  trees.  The  linden  is  peculiarly  subject  to  worms,  and  should 
not,  therefore,  be  planted  in  streets.  The  elm,  near  the  sea-coast, 
is  also  infested  by  a species  of  worm,  which  does  not,  however, 
seem  to  be  very  annoying  in  the  interior.  The  tulip  tree,  or  white 
wood,  is  rather  difficult  to  transplant, 'and  not  adapted  to  any  but  a 
rich  warm  soil ; but,  once  established  in  such  a soil,  it  makes  an 
elegant  street  tree.  The  oaks  grow  too  slowly  to  be  popular,  and 


NEIGHBORING  IMPROVEMENTS. 


G9 


many  of  them  have  not  a cheerful  expression  in  winter.  The  wil- 
lows generally  have  thin  leaves,  which  rot  where  they  fall,  and 
therefore  make  the  walks  filthy  under  them  in  autumn.  The  pop- 
lars all  have  blossoms,  or  cottony  seeds,  that  are  annoying. 
Among  the  foreign  maples,  the  Norway  and  the  sycamore  maples 
are  well  adapted  to  street  planting,  but  not  superior  to  the  sugar 
maple.  If  we  were  to  name  six  species  of  trees  to  choose  from  for 
the  street,  they  would  be  the  American  weeping  elm,  the  Scotch  or 
Wych  elm,  the  horse-chestnut,  the  sugar,  Norway,  or  sycamore  ma- 
ples, the  weeping  white  birch,  and,  in  light,  warm  soils,  the  white 
pine. 

Charming  effects  may  be  produced  by  planting  such  trees  as 
the  weeping  birch  at  long  intervals,  to  break  the  monotony  of 
heavier  formed  trees  by  the  delicate  sprightliness  of  their  foliage  in 
summer,  and  their  brilliant  white-barked  spray  when  the  trees  are 
leafless.  We  know  no  reason  why  several  varieties  of  the  birch 
would  not  make  admirable  avenues  for  streets  which  are  too  nar- 
row for  elms,  and  in  which  maples  and  chestnuts  make  too  deep  a 
shade. 

In  conclusion,  we  will  venture  to  suggest  an  innovation  for 
town  streets  which  are  occupied  for  residences  alone,  and  upon 
which  there  is  little  travel  in  vehicles.  The  roadway  on  such 
streets  is  often  needlessly  wide,  and  trees  planted  on  the  sidewalk 
on  both  sides  of  the  road,  expand  their  tops  so  as  to  obstruct  a 
view  of  the  street,  and  so  close  to  the  house  that  their  beauty  can- 
not be  seen.  It  is  recommended  that  such  streets  have  but  one 
row  of  trees,  and  that  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  where  a strip  of 
grass,  six  feet  wide  or  more,  would  give  them  a pleasing  setting. 
As  this  width  of  grass  cannot  be  spared  from  many  town  side- 
walks, but  can  be  from  the  roadways,  the  plan  may  occasionally  be 
used  to  advantage. 


CHAPTER  VI  I I. 

MATERIALS  USED  IN  DECORATIVE  PLANTING. 

^ ^ HERE  are  no  vegetable  productions  in  Nature  which, 

when  thoroughly  observed  and  understood,  are  not  beau- 
1 tiful.  Few  plants  are  more  beautiful  than  the  thistle. 
Most  weeds  will  elicit  our  admiration  if  their  forms, 
growth,  and  structure  are  carefully  noticed.  Even  bare  rocks  give 
pleasure  to  the  eye,  and  their  vastness  and  ruggedness  awaken  emo- 
tions of  sublimity,  as  sun,  moon,  or  darkness  light  and  shadow  them. 
A lightning-shivered  pine,  projecting  from  a mountain  side,  makes 
a striking  point  in  a painter’s  landscape,  and  serves  to  heighten,  by 
contrast,  the  smooth-featured  loveliness  of  a valley  below  it. 

Yet  the  thistle  would  give  more  pain  than  pleasure  as  a pot  or 
border  plant.  What  we  call  weeds  are  only  so  because  some  other 
plants  unite  more  beauties,  or  give  more  pleasurable  returns  for  cul- 
tivation. We  reject  the  former,  because  we  cannot  have  all,  and 
therefore  choose  their  betters.  The  shivered  pine,  though  pleas- 
ingly  picturesque  up  among  the  rocks,  would  give  more  pleasure 
added  to  the  wood-pile  than  to  the  front  yard  of  the  citizen ; and 


DECORATIVE  PLANTING. 


71 


the  rocky  beauties  of  mountain  scenery  are  sometimes  those  of 
which  the  poet  says — 

“ ’Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view.” 

The* noble  exhilaration  of  climbing  and  roaming  over  mountain 
scenery  is  a charm  not  so  much  of  their  beauties,  seen  near  by,  as 
of  the  tonic  air,  and  tonic  exercise,  and  bounding  blood,  and  glow 
of  pride  to  be  above  some  part  of  the  world  and  to  look  down 
upon  it. 

Tennyson  thus  nobly  contrasts  the  mountain  with  the  valley  : 


“ Come  down,  O maid,  from  yonder  mountain  height ; 

What  pleasure  lives  in  height  (the  shepherd  sang), 

In  height  and  cold,  the  pleasure  of  the  hills  ? 

But  cease  to  move  so  near  the  heavens,  and  cease 
To  glide  a sunbeam  by  the  blasted  pine, 

To  sit  a star  upon  the  sparkling  spire, 

And  come  ! for  Love  is  of  the  valley  ; * * * 

* * * * let  the  torrent  dance  thee  down, 

To  find  him  in  the  valley  ; let  the  wild 
Lean-headed  eagles  yelp  alone,  and  leave 
The  monstrous  ledges  there  to  slope,  and  spill 
Their  thousand  wreaths  of  dangling  water-smoke, 

That  like  a broken  purpose  waste  in  air  ; 

So  waste  not  thou : but  come  ; for  all  the  vales 
Await  thee  ; azure  pillars  of  the  hearth 
Arise  to  thee  ; the  children  call,  and  I, 

Thy  shepherd,  pipe  ; and  sweet  is  every  sound, 

Sweeter  thy  voice,  but  every  sound  is  sweet ; 

Myriads  of  rivulets  hurrying  through  the  lawn, 

The  moan  of  doves  in  immemorial  elms, 

And  murmuring  of  innumerable  bees.” 

We  turn  from  where  we  stand  upon  the  mountain,  not  so  much 
to  look  at  the  vast  and  rugged  forms  around  us,  as  upon  the  lovely 
scenery  at  its  base ; scenes  where  the  hand  of  Art  has  set  its  im- 
press on  the  works  of  Nature,  and  added  human  interests  to  their 
normal  beauty. 

Mountain  and  picturesque  scenery  is  something  which  can 
neither  be  transplanted  nor  successfully  imitated,  and  is,  therefore, 
rarely  within  the  pale  of  decorative  gardening,  as  applied  to  the 
grounds  of  towns-people.  Great  mossy  boulders,  little  ledges,  and 
stony  brooks,  are  now  and  then  natural  features  of  suburban  sites, 
and  should  be  prized  for  the  picturesque  effects  and  variety  of  in- 


72 


MATERIALS  USED  IN 


teres t that  may  be  made  with  them.  The  paltry  artificial  rock- 
works  that  mar  so  many  otherwise  pretty  grounds,  need  scarcely  be 
mentioned,  as  the  sight  of  them  must  necessarily  make  their  pro- 
prietors feel  as  dissatisfied  with  their  effect  as  the  animal  who  es- 
sayed to  don  the  garb  and  imitate  the  roar  of  the  lion  was  with 
his  success.  It  is  not  intended,  however,  to  condemn  those  rock- 
works  which  are  unobtrusively  placed for  the  purpose  of  growing  to 
better  advantage  certain  favorite  plants,  but  only  “rock-work” 
which  is  built  for  exhibition. 

What,  then,  are  the  materials  which  every  one  may  command, 
and  which  can  be  combined  in  town  and  village  grounds  to  realize 
the  greatest  and  most  permanent  pleasure?  We  will  name  these: 

Of  Nature’s  gifts — Earth,  Grass,  Trees,  Shrubs,  Flowers,  Vines, 
and  Water ; of  Art’s  productions — Houses,  Walks,  Roads,  Fences, 
and  all  the  needful  accessories  of  dwellings  for  cultivated  people. 
Let  us  briefly  sketch  what  are  the  essential  characteristics  of  Na- 
ture’s materials. 

Earth. — Of  the  Earth  we  demand,  for  decorative  planting,  that 
she  shall  be  rich,  and  her  bosom  smooth  and  flowing ; that,  whether 
varied  in  surface  by  billowy  inequalities,  or  formed  to  less  interest- 
ing slopes  or  levels,  the  surface  lines  shall  always  be  smooth,  and 
free  from  all  rough  irregularities. 

Grass. — This  is  the  most  lowly,  the  simplest,  and  the  loveliest 
element  to  be  used  in  the  adornment  of  home.  A chapter  will 
hereafter  be  devoted  to  it  under  the  head  of  The  Lawn.  Here  its 
essential  use  and  beauty  is  defined  to  be — a close-fitting  green  robe 
thrown  over  the  smooth  form  of  the  earth,  through  which  every  un- 
dulation is  revealed,  and  over  which  the  sunlight  will  play  as  upon 
velvet,  and  the  shadows  of  environing  objects  be  clearly  outlined 
as  upon  a floor. 

Trees. — The  beauty  of  trees  is  in  the  endless  variety  of  their 
forms,  their  coloring,  the  contrasts  of  light  and  shade  in  the  depths 
of  their  foliage,  and  their  shadows,  which  play  with  the  sunlight 
and  moonlight  on  the  grass  beneath  them.  The  latter  is  one  of 
their  greatest  charms,  but  one  which  the  smoothness  of  the  ground 
and  grass  has  much  to  do  in  developing.  There  is  also  a noble 
fascination  in  viewing  the  grand  trunks  of  large  trees  towering  over 


DECORATIVE  PLANTING. 


73 


our  heads,  their  rough  branches  projected  in  bold  defiance  of 
gravitation,  swaying  listlessly  in  quiet  air,  toying  with  gentle 
breezes,  or  lashing  the  air  in  proud  defiance  of  its  ruder  gales. 

Shrubs. — These  are  to  small  places  the  lowly  representatives 
of  what  trees  are  to  the  park ; and  more : for  there  are  few  trees 
which  we  value  for  their  flowers,  while  most  ornamental  shrubs  are 
covered  at  some  season  with  a bloom  of  glowing  colors,  and 
adorned  with  the  same  luxuriance  of  leafage  that  clothes  the  best 
trees.  They  are  the  main-stay  after  grass  for  the  adornment  of 
pleasure  grounds  of  small  extent.  The  variety  to  choose  from  is 
large,  and  a study  of  the  peculiar  beauty  of  each,  and  the  position 
for  which  it  is  best  adapted,  is  one  to  which  we  ask  the  marked  at- 
tention of  the  reader.  Their  appropriate  or  improper  placement 
will  make  or  mar  the  beauty  of  the  grounds. 

Vines,  though  in  some  respects  classed  with  shrubs,  have  so 
distinct  a beauty  of  their  own  that  they  constitute  a separate  ele- 
ment of  embellishment.  Their  proper  places  are  so  evident,  and 
generally  so  well  understood,  that  fewer  mistakes  are  made  in 
placing  them  than  any  other  class  of  plants.  Housekeepers  differ 
widely  whether  to  have  or  not  to  have  their  interlacing  foliage  on 
porch  and  verandas,  or  embowering  their  windows.  Of  their  loveli- 
ness to  the  eye  in  those  situations  there  is  no  question.  Whether 
their  beauty  compensates  for  the  occasional  inconvenience  of  the 
insects  they  harbor,  is  to  be  decided  by  each  lady  housekeeper  for 
herself.  It  is  a clear  case  for  toleration  and  Christian  forbearance, 
if  we  would  retain  these  most  winsome  features  of  cottage  decora- 
tion. Of  vines  on  ornamental  frames  we  will  treat  further  on,  here 
remarking,  that,  as  usually  placed,  on  garish  white  frames,  in  the 
most  conspicuous  positions,  they  are  much  like  graceful  and  beauti- 
ful girls — less  lovely  when  thus  thrust  forward  to  attract  attention, 
than  when,  in  more  modest  positions,  their  grace  and  beauty  draw 
one  to  them. 

Flowers. — So  beautiful  and  varied  are  they,  that  a thousand 
life-times  of  s^udy  could  not  learn  all  their  infinite  varieties.  Henry 
Coleman,  the  distinguished  agriculturist  of  Massachusetts,  once 
naively  wrote  : “ When  I hear  a man  ask,  ‘ What’s  the  use  of  flow- 
ers ? 9 I am  always  tempted  to  lift  his  hat  and  see  the  length  of  his 


* 


74  DECORATIVE  PLANTING. 

ears  ! ” All  civilized  beings  love  flowers,  and  ladies  often  “ not 
wisely,  but  too  well.”  We  will  endeavor  to  show,  hereafter,  how 
they  may  be  wisely  cherished. 

Water. — Of  water,  we  can  only  require  that  it  be  pure  and 
clear,  and  in  motion.  The  scope  of  this  work  is  too  limited  to 
deal  much  with  the  capabilities  of  this  lovely  element  in  the  hands 
of  the  landscape  gardener.  Only  in  large  and  expensive  places  can 
artificial  ponds  or  lakes  be  introduced  to  advantage  as  a decorative 
element.  But  we  protest  against  all  those  abominations  made  with 
water,  called  fish-ponds ; or  indeed  any  ponds  at  all  where  the  sur- 
rounding earth,  or  the  earth  beneath  them,  is  rich  enough  to  cause 
water-vegetation,  or  scum,  in  them.  To  invite  a clear  rippling 
brook  to  spread  itself  out  into  a stagnant  pool,  is  as  bad  as  to  in- 
veigle your  most  entertaining  friend  into  “a  dead-drunk.”  It  is  an 
outrage  on  nature  and  decency.  But  a brook  may  be  made  doubly 
interesting,  sometimes,  by  obstructing  it  with  stones  ; by  creating 
cascades  ; by  forcing  it  to  rush  and  hide  in  narrow  crevices,  to 
emerge  foaming  with  excitement ; and,  finally,  to  spread  over  a 
shallow  bed  of  bright  pebbles,  and  sparkle  leisurely  in  the  sun. 
Such  brooks  can  be  made  a perpetual  charm.  All  their  beauties 
may  be  heightened  by  art,  but  not  the  art  of  the  mill-dam,  or  fish- 
pond maker.  The  fish  and  fevers  bred  in  such  places  are  not  of 
sufficient  value  to  the  producer  to  warrant  the  outlay. 

The  needful  works  of  art — houses,  walls,  fences,  and  decorative 
constructions — belong  more  to  the  architect  than  to  the  landscape 
gardener,  and  the  employment  of  only  architects  of  thorough  edu- 
cation and  culture,  is  the  policy  of  the  citizen  who  wishes  to 
make  a permanently  pleasing  home,  and  no  foolish  expenditures. 
The  building  of  expensive  summer-houses  and  arbors  in  ordinary 
suburban  places  is  rarely  necessary.  Where  grounds  are  large 
enough  to  make  them  real  conveniences , the  strong  rustic  cedar  con- 
structions much  used  of  late  years  (of  which  admirable  examples 
are  to  be  seen  in  the  New  York  Central  Park),  are  well  adapted 
for  shady  places  away  from  the  house  and  the  street. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

FAULTS  TO  AVOID— PLAN  BEFORE  PLANTING. 

RIGID  self-denial,  in  dispensing  with  many  things  that 
seem  desirable,  will  be  found  essential  to  the  best  effect 
and  enjoyment  of  those  home-adornments  which  we  can 
afford.  Limited  as  most  men  are  in  income ; circum- 
scribed as  their  building  lots  usually  are,  and  fixed  by  circum- 
stances quite  different  from  those  which  would  influence  a choice 
for  landscape  gardening  alone,  one  of  the  most  difficult  lessons  to 
learn  is,  to  proportion  planting  and  expenditures  to  the  lot  and 
the  income.  And  not  this  alone,  but  to  the  demands  of  a refined 
taste,  which  is  intolerant  of  excesses  and  vulgarity  even  in  garden- 
ing. To  build  a larger  house  than  the  owner  can  use  or  furnish, 
or  to  lay  out  grounds  on  a more  costly  scale  than  his  means  will 
enable  him  to  keep  in  good  order,  is  a waste,  and  may  result  in 
making  his  place  unsightly  rather  than  a beautiful  improvement. 
We  doubt  the  good  taste  of  a man,  whose  enthusiastic  love  of 
company  induces  him  to  invite  to  his  house  such  incongruous 
numbers  that  they  crowd  and  jostle  each  other  at  table,  and  must 
be  lodged  uncomfortably  on  floors  and  in  out-buildings.  But  it  is 
just  this  kind  of  over-doing  which  is  the  stumbling-block  of  many 
who  are  embellishing  their  homes.  The  cost  of  superfluous  walks, 
if  they  are  well  made,  is  apt  to  suggest  an  early  inquiry  into  their 
needfulness  ; but  trees  and  shrubs  are  so  cheap,  and  so  small \ at 


76 


FAULTS  TO  AVOID , 


first,  that  excessive  planting  is  almost  as  certain  to  be  indulged 
in,  as  excessive  eating  by  one  who  has  long  fasted.  A dozen 
varieties  of  trees,  and  scores  of  shrubs,  each  of  which  has  a special 
and  familiar  beauty,  call  winningly  to  the  planter,  “ choose  me !” 
If  he  good-naturedly  yields  to  every  beauty’s  beckoning,  he  finds, 
too  late,  that  in  trying  to  please  all  he  has  satisfied  none,  and 
perhaps  done  injustice  to  all.  Crowded  together  more  and  more 
as  they  grow,  each  will  hide  the  beauty  of.  the  other,  and  only 
darken  the  ground  they  were  intended  to  adorn.  A single  native 
tree,  growing  alone,  or,  if  the  ground  be  very  small,  a single  full- 
grown  shrub,  with  room  and  soil  enough  to  give  luxuriant  develop- 
ment of  all  its  beauty,  will  do  more,  far  more,  to  beautify  one’s 
home,  than  the  finest  variety  of  trees,  growing  together  like  an 
overgrown  nursery.  Yet,  in  planting  a small  lot,  where  no  trees 
are  already  grown,  those  who  love  variety  must  be  chary  of  plant- 
ing even  one  full-sized  tree.  Eugene  Baumann,  of  Rahway,  N.  J., 
one  of  the  few  thoroughly  cultivated  garden  artists  in  this  country, 
in  alluding  to  the  folly  of  planting  large  trees  at  all  in  small  lots, 
very  happily  illustrates  its  absurdity  by  likening  it  to  the  choice  of  a 
table  for  a small  drawing-room,  the  four  corners  of  which  would 
touch  the  four  walls.  Few  persons  realize  the  rapidity  with  which 
trees  grow  and  time  flies  ; and  in  planting  are  pretty  sure,  after  a 
few  years,  like  the  Vicar  of  Wakefield,  to  find  their  sylvan  family- 
pictures  too  big  for  the  room. 

Let  it,  then,  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  smaller  the  lot,  the 
smaller  should  he  the  materials  used  to  adorn  it.  For  city  fronts  of 
from  io  x 20  feet  to  a few  rods  in  area,  the  arts  of  gardening  will 
take  an  architectural  direction,  so  that  cut-stone  walks,  bordered 
with  bedding  plants  and  low  annuals,  and  well-placed  and  well- 
filled  vases,  will  be  the  only  form  in  which  vegetable  beauties  can 
be  introduced.  For  places  of  a rood  in  extent,  (we  mean  only 
the  space  devoted  to  decorative  planting),  a lawn  will  be  essen- 
tial ; and  there  may  be  introduced  many  shrubs  as  well  as  flowers  ; 
but  trees  sparingly,  if  at  all.  Of  architectural  or  constructive 
decorations,  there  will  be  room  for  considerable  expenditure,  and 
more  discretion.  Only  on  places  having  upwards  of  half  an  acre 
devoted  to  ornamental  keeping,  ought  trees  which  attain  large  size 


PLAN  BEFORE  PLANTING. 


77 


to  be  planted.  If,  however,  there  are  fine  trees  already  "rowing 
on  any  lot,  all  the  arrangements  of  walks  and  plantings  should  be 
made  to  avail  of  their  beauty,  and  to  heighten  it. 

Kemp’s  observations  on  this  subject  are  so  pertinent  that  we 
shall  quote  them,  premising  that  garden  as  here  used  by  him, 
means  the  pleasure-ground  of  a place. 

“ Possibly  the  greatest  and  most  prevalent  error  of  those  who 
lay  out  gardens  for  themselves  is,  attempting  too  much.  A mind 
unaccustomed  to  generalize,  or  to  take  in  a number  of  leading 
objects  at  a glance,  finds  out  the  different  points  embraced  in 
landscape  gardening  one  by  one,  and,  unable  to  decide  which  of 
them  can  most  suitably  be  applied,  determines  on  trying  to  com- 
pass more  than  can  readily  be  attained.  One  thing  after  another 
is,  at  different  times,  observed  and  liked,  in  some  similar  place 
that  is  visited,  and  each  is  successively  wished  to  be  transferred 
to  the  observer’s  own  garden,  without  regard  to  its  fitness  for  the 
locality,  or  its  relation  to  what  has  previously  been  done.  A 
neighbor  or  a friend  has  a place  in  which  certain  features  are  ex- 
quisitely developed,  and  these  are  at  once  sought  to  be  copied. 
The  practice  of  cutting  up  a ground  into  mere  fragments  is  the 
natural  result  of  such  a state  of  things. 

“There  are  several  ways  in  which  a place  may  be  frittered 
away,  so  as  to  be  wholly  deficient  in  character  and  beauty.  It 
may  be  too  much  broken  up  in  its  general  arrangement;  and  this 
is  the  worst  variety  of  the  fault,  because  least  easily  mended  and 
most  conspicuous.  To  aim  at  comprising  the  principal  features 
proper  to  the  largest  gardens,  in  those  of  the  most  limited  size,  is 
surely  not  a worthy  species  of  imitation,  and  one  which  can  only 
excite  ridicule  and  end  in  disappointment.  * # * * 

“ A place  may  likewise,  and  easily,  be  too  much  carved  up  into 
detached  portions,  or  overshadowed,  or  reduced  in  apparent  size, 
by  planting  too  largely.  Trees  and  shrubs  constitute  the  greatest 
ornaments  of  a garden ; but  they  soon  become  disagreeable  when 
a place  is  overrun  with  them,  by  contracting  the  space,  and  shut- 
ting out  light,  and  rendering  the  grass  imperfect  and  the  walks 
mossy.  Nothing  could  be  more  damp,  and  gloomy,  and  confined, 
than  a small  place  too  much  cumbered  with  plantations.  Nor  is 


78 


FAULTS  TO  AVOID , 


» 


the  consideration  of  its  influences  on  the  health  of  the  occupants 
at  all  unimportant ; for  where  sun  and  wind  cannot  get  free  play, 
a moist  and  stagnant  air,  injurious  to  all  animal  life,  is  necessarily 
occasioned.  ********* 

“In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  house,  moreover,  it  is 
particularly  desirable  that  trees  and  large  shrubs  should  not 
abound.  Independently  of  darkening  the  windows,  they  communi- 
cate great  dampness  to  the  walls,  and  prevent  that  action  of  the  wind 
upon  the  building  which  alone  can  keep  it  dry,  comfortable,  and 
consequently  healthy. 

“ Another  mode  in  which  the  effect  of  a garden  may  be  marred 
by  too  much  being  aimed  at,  is  in  the  formation  of  numerous  flower 
beds , or  groups  of  mixed  shrubs  and  flowers  on  the  lawn.  This  is 
a very  common  failing,  and  one  which  greatly  disfigures  a place ; 
especially  as,  when  intended  only  for  flowers,  such  beds  usually 
remain  vacant  and  naked  for  several  months  in  the  year.” 

The  necessity  of  avoiding  to  shade  a house  with  trees,  or 
shrubs  against  its  walls,  is  doubtless  much  greater  in  Great  Britain 
than  in  our  much  dryer  and  hotter  climate ; still,  it  is  certain  that 
the  suggestions  of  the  author  just  quoted  are  quite  too  much  dis- 
regarded in  this  country ; so  much  so,  that  some  of  our  highest 
medical  authorities,  of  late,  attribute  much  of  the  consumption  so 
fatal  in  New  England  families,  to  the  want  of  sun,  the  damp  air, 
and  the  tree  and  shrub-embowered  and  shutter-closed  houses  pe- 
culiar to  its  villages  and  farms. 

A common  error  in  fitting  up  a home  is  the  idea,  apparently 
acted  upon  by  the  owner,  that  his  own  place  “ is  all  the  world  to 
him.”  Now,  a glimpse  of  a near  or  distant  mountain,  river,  pond, 
or  lake ; of  a single  beautiful  tree,  or  a church  spire,  or  a neigh- 
bor’s pretty  house  and  lawn,  or  a distant  field-chequered  farm,  are 
all  our  own  if  we  choose  to  make  them  so.  As  H.  W.  Beecher 
pithily  puts  it : “ Men’s  eyes  make  finer  pictures,  when  they  know 
how  to  use  them,  than  anybody’s  hands  can.”  To  shut  one’s  place 
out  of  view  of  one  or  all  of  these  things,  by  planting  it  full  of  lit- 
tle trees  and  little  bushes,  to  be  admired  principally  because  they 
are  “my”  little  trees  and  bushes,  is  surely  a sad  weakness;  yet 
how  many  homes  are  seen,  commanding  pictures  of  great  interest 


PLAN  BEFORE  PLANTING. 


79 


or  beauty,  which  have  been  completely  shut  out  of  view  by  planta- 
tions of  trees  and  shrubs,  in  consequence  of  the  ill -directed  zeal 
of  the  master  or  mistress  of  the  house 
to  fill  “our  yard”  with  beautiful  things.  Fig.  18 

Fig.  1 8 is  a view  out  of  the  narrow  side- 
light of  a friend’s  bay-window.  It  scarcely 
takes  in  more  than  an  eighth  of  a rood 
of  his  own  ground,  and  yet  makes  a 
charming  outlook,  over  an  animated  river, 
to  distant  fields,  and  homes,  and  fine 
trees,  of  which  the  engraving  gives  but  a 
bare  suggestion.  A single  tree,  or  a 
group  of  shrubs  planted  in  the  wrong 
place,  would  have  shut  out,  completely, 
this  pleasant  picture. 

It  cannot  be  too  strongly  impressed 
on  the  reader’s  mind,  that  most  grounds,  and  all  that  are  nearly 
level \ can  be  much  better  arra?iged  on  paper , where  all  parts  are  un- 
der the  eye  at  the  same  moment,  than  upon  the  ground,  while  planting . 

Beginning  to  erect  a house  before  a plan  has  been  made,  is  not 
more  sure  of  begetting  blunders,  than  beginning  to  plant  in  the 
same  way  ; and  though  the  blunders  of  misplanting  may  not  be 
so  costly,  they  are  certain  in  the  end  to  be  quite  as  unsightly. 

We  would  by  no  means  recommend  every  man  to  be  the  plan- 
ner of  his  own  grounds,  if  competent  garden  artists  are  to  be  had ; 
but  in  the  absence  of  such,  and  on  the  supposition  that  we  are 
addressing  men  and  women  studious  of  culture  in  the  art,  who 
may,  by  dint  of  such  study,  and  pondering  over  their  own  dear 
home-plan,  do  something  better  for  themselves  than  the  common 
run  of  such  vegetable  gardeners  as  they  can  find  can  do  for  them, 
we  would  only  endeavor  to  aid  them  in  the  attempt.  And  we 
firmly  believe  that  a knowledge  of  the  best  arts  of  gardening  will 
be  increased  by  recommending,  to  educated  men  and  women,  the 
careful  study  and  maturing  of  their  own  plans.  The  first  result  of 
such  labor  will  be  to  elevate  their  conceptions  of  the  range  of  gar- 
dening art,  to  impress  them  with  their  own  ignorance,  and  to 
enable  them  to  better  appreciate,  and  therefore  set  a higher  value  % 


Fig.  i8 


80 


FAULTS  TO  AVOID , 


on  the  professional  services  of  educated  gardeners.  It  would  be 
a,s  absurd  for  the  mass  of  men,  engrossed  in  active  business,  to 
devote  a large  amount  of  time  to  the  study  of  the  mere  rudiments 
of  gardenesque  art,  simply  to  enable  them  to  lay  out  a half  acre  or 
acre  of  land,  as  it  would  be  for  the  same  business  man  to  pore 
over  an  architect’s  library  and  pictures  to  enable  him  to  design  his 
own  house — provided  skillful  planters  were  as  easily  found  as  com- 
petent architects.  Twenty  years  ago  there  was  the  same  dearth  of 
architects  of  culture  as  there  now  is  of  educated  gardeners.  The 
general  study  of  domestic  architecture,  which  Downing’s  works  then 
aided  to  make  a fashion,  produced,  at  first,  an  astonishing  fermen- 
tation and  rising  of  architectural  crudities ; but  it  also  produced, 
afterwards,  a crop  of  architects.  If  we  can  induce  every  family 
who  have  a home  to  adorn,  to  study  the  art  of  planning  and  ar- 
ranging their  own  grounds,  the  seed  will  be  planted  that  will  ger- 
minate, in  another  generation,  in  a crop  of  art-gardeners  of  such 
high  culture,  and  of  such  necessity  to  the  educated  community,  that 
it  will  be  one  of  the  honored  professions  of  our  best  collegiates. 

Now,  however,  the  number  of  such  men,  devoted  to  this  profes- 
sion, is  so  small,  that  we  have  not  heard  even  of  more  than  half  a 
dozen  skilled,  professional  gardeners  among  our  thirty  millions  of 
native  Americans  ; and  not  greatly  more  than  double  that  number 
of  educated  foreigners,  who  have  established  a deserved  fame 
among  us  as  men  of  culture  in  their  art.  Even  these  men,  with  * 
few  exceptions,  are  little  known  outside  the  wealthy  circles  of  the 
great  cities,  nor  half  appreciated  where  they  are  known.  Until 
employers  are  themselves  persons  of  culture,  artists,  even  when 
employed,  are  regarded  as  a kind  of  dilettanti,  whom  it  is  neces- 
sary to  employ  rather  to  conform  to  “ the  fashion,”  than  for  such 
service  as  the  employer  is  competent  to  appreciate,  and  really 
enjoy  the  results  of.  We  know  of  nothing  that  will  at  the  same 
time  cultivate  a taste  for  the  fascinating  art  of  gardenesque  design- 
ing, and  produce  a quick  return  of  pleasure  for  the  time  spent,  as 
the  study  of  paper  plans  for  one’s  own  grounds. 

Ignorant  gardeners,  and  self-sufficient  business  men  who  know 
nothing  about  gardening,  are  apt  to  indulge  in  ridicule  of  this 
paper  gardening,  but  it  is  the  ridicule  only  which  is  ridiculous. 


N°l  A 


Scalr  n iiH.ti-l  foot. 


. 


. 

. 

■ 


PLAN  BEFORE  PLANTING, 


81 


Architecture,  in  execution,  becomes  a matter  of  stone,  brick,  mor- 
tar, wood,  and  iron  ; but  who,  except  an  ignoramus,  would  expect 
the  skillful  architect  to  devote  himself  to  the  handling  of  these 
materials,  instead  of  to  his  books,  his  pictures,  and  his  drawing- 
board  ? Good  garden  designs  necessitate  the  same  kind  of  thought, 
and  taste,  and  careful  comparison  of  different  plans,  and  consid- 
eration of  expense,  before  commencing  to  handle  the  materials, 
that  are  to  be  used  to  carry  out  the  design.  The  plan  must  be 
complete  before  commencing  work  on  the  foundations,  whether  for 
architecture  or  for  decorative  gardening.  The  time  to  do  this  can 
best  be  given  during  the  days  and  long  winter  evenings  preceding 
the  season  for  work ; and  cannot  be  in  those  few  lovely  days  of 
swelling  buds,  into  which  so  many  kinds  of  spring  work  are  neces- 
sarily crowded.  If,  however,  there  is  any  skillful  garden  designer 
within  reach,  we  advise,  unhesitatingly,  his  employment.  He  will 
do  the  planning  in  one-tenth  the  time  that  an  amateur  can,  and 
probably  a great  deal  better ; and  his  services  should  be  paid  for 
as  for  those  of  other  professional  men  of  education  and  culture. 

If  the  reader  will  be  governed  by  our  advice,  we  shall  insist 
on  his  having  a correct  map  made  of  the  lot  upon  which  he  has 
built,  or  proposes  to  build,  and  plant ; showing  accurately  the  lo- 
cation and  plan  of  the  house,  and  all  the  outbuildings,  and  the 
position  of  every  tree  or  large  shrub  already  growing.  Such  trees 
or  shrubs  should  have  the  breadth  of  their  tops  lightly  sketched 
in.  Rock  boulders,  or  ledges,  which  are  not  to  be  removed,  should 
also  be  distinctly  platted.  The  map  should  be  drawn  on  a scale 
that  will  permit  of  its  being  pasted  on  a drawing-board  not  larger 
than  two  feet  by  three.  The  best  of  drawing-paper  should  be 
used.  It  should  be  moistened,  and  put  on  by  some  draughtsman 
familiar  with  the  mode  of  doing  it.  If  a lot  ioo  x 300  is  to  be 
platted  on  a scale  of  one-eighth  of  an  inch  to  a foot,  it  will  cover 
1 2 2 x 37 1 inches  of  paper.  Scaled  one-twelfth  of  an  inch  to  a 
foot,  the  same  lot  would  cover  8]  x 25  inches  of  paper,  which 
would  be  the  best  scale  for  a lot  of  that  length.  For  a larger  lot 
it  would  be  advisable  to  reduce  the  scale  to  one-sixteenth  of  an 
inch  to  the  foot  (or  sixteen  feet  to  one  inch) ; and  for  a lot  not 
more  than  a hundred  feet  long,  or  where  not  more  than  one  hun- 
6 


82 


FAULTS  TO  AVOID. 


dred  feet  need  be  planned  for  planting,  a scale  of  four  feet  to  the 
inch  (\  of  an  inch  to  the  foot)  may  be  used.  It  is  best  to  have 
the  scale  fourths,  eighths,  twelfths,  or  sixteenths  of  an  inch,  as 
these  divisions  of  a foot  come  on  all  ordinary  measuring-rules. 
There  should  be  a clear  margin  of  at  least  two  inches  of  paper 
outside  the  lot  lines ; the  outer  inch  to  paste  the  paper  to  the 
board,  and  the  inner  inch  for  a margin,  when  it  becomes  neces- 
sary to  cut  the  paper  from  the  board.  A duplicate  should  be 
made  of  this  skeleton  map,  as  first  made,  to  keep  safely  in  the 
house ; and  as  the  plans  for  planting  are  matured  and  carried  out 
from  the  board,  or  “ field  map,”  the  house  map  should  have  such 
work  platted  upon  it,  in  duplicate.  The  map  which  is  pasted  to 
the  board  may  be  materially  protected  from  damage  by  rain,  wet 
grass,  or  dirt,  to  which  it  may  be  exposed  during  the  planting 
season,  by  covering  it  with  ordinary  transparent  tracing  linen. 

To  facilitate  the  planning  or  arrangement  of  the  various  things 
to  be  planted  on  different  parts  of  the  lot,  as  well  as  to  make  the 
plan  more  easy  to  work  from  in  planting,  the  map  should  be  di- 
vided into  one-inch  squares  by  ordinary  blue  lines,  and  these  sub- 
divided into  eighth-inch  squares  by  very  faint  blue  lines.  Each  side 
of  these  inch  squares  wdl  then  represent  four,  eight,  twelve,  or 
sixteen  feet,  according  to  the  scale  chosen.  One  accustomed  to 
the  use  of  a decimal  scale, -may  have  the  squares  made  one  and 
one-fourth  inches  on  each  side,  and  then  subdivided  into  tenths, 
each  one  of  which  will  then  be  an  eighth-inch.  Paper  thus  ruled 
for  the  use  of  civil-engineers  and  architects,  may  be  procured  at 
most  large  stationers.  These  squares,  when  the  distances  they 
represent  are  borne  in  mind,  serve  as  a substitute  for  measure- 
ments on  the  map.  Plate  I,  which  is  on  a scale  of  32  feet  to  one 
inch,  (our  page  being  too  small  to  admit  any  larger  scale),  illus- 
trates the  mode  in  which  a map  should  be  made.  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  intersections  of  the  square  lines  with  the  exterior  boun- 
daries of  the  lot  are  numbered  on  one  side  and  lettered  on 
another,  from  the  same  point,  marked  0.  This  is  to  facilitate 
measurements  and  references  to  the  intersections.  Before  pro- 
ceeding to  lay  out  walks,  or  to  plant  from  the  plan,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  have  the  fence  measured  and  marked  in  the  same 


PLAN  BEFORE  PLANTING. 


83 


way,  i,  2,  3,  4,  etc.,  on  two  opposite  sides  of  the  lot,  and  A,  B, 
C on  the  other  sides.  These  marks  may  be  made  distinct  on  the 
inside  of  the  fence,  in  some  inconspicuous  place  where  they  will 
not  mar  it. 

Now  let  us  suppose  that  the  house  and  out-buildings  have 
been  correctly  platted  on  the  map  of  the  lot,  as  shown  on  Plate  I, 
and  that  the  walks,  trees,  shrubs,  and  flower-beds  have  been 
planned  and  drawn  as  shown  thereon.  The  first  out-door  work 
to  be  done  is  to  lay  out  the-  walks  on  the  ground  in  conform- 
ity to  the  plan.  The  front  walk  is  six  feet  wide.  This  will  be 
laid  out  simply  by  making  its  center  on  the  center  line  of  the 
main  hall,  extended  to  the  front  fence,  or  by  taking  for  the  center, 
at  the  street,  a point  two  feet  to  the  right  of  J,  (looking  towards 
the  house.)  This  walk  is  here  supposed  to  be  made  with  a stone 
coping  at  the  sides,  (after  the  manner  shown  in  the  vignette  of 
Chapter  IV,)  terminating  eight  feet  from  the  front  steps,  with  low 
pedestals  and  vases,  and  a circular  stone  or  gravel  area,  as  shown 
on  the  plate.  The  plan  supposes  the  lot  to  have  a street  on  the 
side  as  well  as  in  front,  and  that  its  surface  is  elevated  from  two 
to  four  feet  above  the  front  street. 

The  rear  walk  and  carriage-road  are  combined  in  a roadway 
eight  feet  wide,  four  feet  on  each  side  of  station  17,  which  is  136 
feet  (17  x 8=136)  from  the  front  corner.  By  counting  the  squares 
(each  four  feet),  the  size  and  form  of  the  graveled  space  in  front 
of  the  carriage-house  will  be  readily  ascertained.  The  curves  may 
be  made  by  little  stakes  or  shingle  splinters  stuck  until  they  are 
satisfactory.  The  grape  walk,  which  is  eight  feet  between  the  out- 
side of  the  trellised  posts,  is  on  a right  line  with  the  rear  part  of  the 
house,  so  that  no  mistake  can  be  made  in  its  location.  The  walk 
at  the  left  is  four  feet  from  the  trellis,  and  four  feet  wide,  with  a 
rose  or  other  vine  trellis,  or  a low  flower  vase,  facing  its  extremity. 
The  walks  for  the  vegetable  garden  are  too  simple  in  their  charac- 
ter to  need  more  than  mention.  They  open  at  three  points  into 
the  grape  walk,  by  openings  or  arches  under  the  top  slat  of  the 
trellis.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  carriage-house,  stable,  and 
kitchen  department  of  the  house  are  under  a continuous  roof ; a 
plan  that  we  commend  for  those  gentlemen  who  keep  all  things 


84 


FAULTS  TO  AVOID . 


tidy  on  all  parts  of  their  home-grounds,  as  economical,  exceed- 
ingly convenient,  cleanly,  and,  in  the  hands  of  a good  architect, 
effective  in  adding  to  the  apparent  extent  and  home-look  of  the 
place.  But  for  persons  unaccustomed  to  maintain  the  same  clean- 
liness around  the  outbuildings  as  in  the  “ front  yard,”  it  may  not 
do  so  well. 

The  walks  being  disposed  of,  let  us  attend  to  the  planting ; and 
begin  with  the  front.  Further  on  we  may  describe  in  detail  what 
trees  and  shrubs  may  be  especially  adapted  to  the  different  places 
here  marked ; our  object  now  being  only  to  allude  to  the  manner 
in  which  the  plan,  that  has  been  completed  on  paper,  may  be 
worked  out  on  the  ground.  At  a,  b , and  c are  three  pairs  of  trees, 
intended  to  form  a short  umbrageous  approach-avenue  to  the 
house.  They  are  all  seven  feet  from  the  walk ; a a are  two 
squares,  or  eight  feet  from  the  front ; b b,  five  squares,  or  twenty 
feet ; c c are  eight  squares,  or  thirty-two  feet.  Flanking  these,  on 
the  left,  is  a mass  of  evergreens,  several  of  which  are  on  the  line 
H,  and  others  on  the  intersections  of  squares  to  the  left,  as  shown 
by  the  plan.  At  the  intersection  of  the  lines  2 and  A,  or  sixteen 
feet  from  the  front,  and  eight  feet  from  the  side  fence,  is  the 
small  tree  f ; at  the  intersection  of  2 and  D is  a small  tree  or 
shrub  e ; and  four  feet  farther  right,  and  four  feet  nearer  the  front 
street,  is  its  companion  shrub  e.  The  small  tree  or  large  shrub  dy 
is  shown  by  the  squares  to  be  eight  feet  from  the  front,  and  twenty 
feet  from  the  side  street,  on  the  line  1.  The  intelligent  reader 
will  see  how  easily  the  plan  for  the  arrangement  of  trees  and 
shrubs  may  be  worked  out  in  this  manner  throughout  ; and,  after 
a few  years’  growth  and  good  care  of  his  plantings,  ought  to  realize 
plainly  the  superior  beauty  of  a well-considered  plan. 


CHAPTER  X. 

WALKS  AND  ROADS. 

IF,  as  we  have  insisted,  a correct  map  has  been  made  of  the 
grounds,  with  all  the  buildings,  and  the  trees  already  growing, 
marked  thereon,  the  next  work  is  to  lay  out  roads  or  walks 
upon  this  map.  First,  question  your  wants  as  to  where  the 
street  entrances  or  gates  had  better  be  made.  This  is  to  be  de- 
cided principally  by  the  direction  of  daily  travel  over  them.  They 
should  always  be  in  the  directions  that  the  family  go  oftenest,  and 
should  be  laid  out  so  as  to  connect  *most  conveniently  the  street  or 
streets  with  the  entrance  doors  of  the  dwelling  and  outbuildings. 
No  more  walks  should  be  made  tha?i  are  wanted  for  daily  use , either 
for  business  or  pleasure.  In  small  grounds,  walks  made  merely  for 
the  purpose  of  having  “pretty  walks”  meandering  among  suppo- 
sitional flower-beds,  convey  the  impression  of  a desire  for  show  dis- 
proportionate to  the  means  of  gratifying  it.  Where  there  is  an 
acre,  or  more,  of  ground  devoted  to  decorative  gardening,  and  it  is 
intended  to  keep  a gardener  in  constant  employ  in  the  care  of  it, 
then  walks  conducting  to  retired  seats,  or  summer-houses,  or  made 
for  the  purpose  of  revealing  pleasing  vistas,  or  intricacies  in  the 
shrubbery,  or  charming  surprises  in  flowers  that  may  be  arranged 
upon  their  borders,  may  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the  place. 
We  would  not  advise  having  any  carriage-way  to  the  front  entrance 
of  a house,  unless  the  distance  is  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet 


i 


WALKS  AND  ROADS. 


86 

between  the  steps  and  the  street,  and  on  a lot  at  least  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  in  width.  For  most  residences  the  front  street  is  near 
enough  for  a carriage  to  approach  with  visitors  and  callers,  who 
generally  choose  fair  weather ; and  the  family  can  go  to  and  from 
their  own  vehicles  by  some  of  the  rear  entrances  of  the  house,  past 
which  the  road  from  the  street  to  the  carriage-house  should  lead. 
Where  houses  are  designed  so  that  their  main  entrance  is  on  the 
side,  then  a carriage-road  may  pass  it  propefly,  though  the  lot 
should  be  narrower  than  the  size  just  mentioned.  For  lots  having 
such  narrow  street  fronts  in  proportion  to  their  depth,  this  is  the 
best  arrangement  for  the  house,  as  it  leaves  the  finest  rooms  adjoin- 
ing each  other  in  the  front.  See  Plates  XIII,  XXV,  and  XXVII. 

In  laying  out  a carriage-drive  avoid  sharp  turns,  and,  as  far  as 
possible,  the  segments  of  circles  reversed  against  each  other,  as  in 
a geometric  letter  S.  Such  parts  of  circles,  though  graceful  on 
paper,  give  the  effect  of  crooked  lines,  as  seen  in  .perspective.  A 
line  that  will  enable  the  driver  to  approach  the  main  steps  most 
conveniently  is  the  true  line,  unless  trees  or  shrubs  already  growing 
prevent,  in  which  case  the  same  rule  must  be  followed  as  nearly  as 
practicable.  By  the  most  convenient  approach  is  meant  that  which 
a skillful  driver  would  make  if  he  were  driving  over  an  unbroken 
lawn  from  the  entrance-gate  to  the  porch. 

Nearly  all  amateur  landscape-gardeners  will  blunder  in  their 
first  attempts  to  lay  out  roads  or  walks,  by  making  the  curves  too 
decided.  The  lines  most  graceful  on  paper  will  not  appear  so  in 
perspective,  as  we  walk  along  them  • and  it  will  not  do,  therefore, 
in  laying  them  out  on  a paper  plat,  to  suppose  they  will  appear  the 
same  on  the  ground.  If  grounds  were  to  be  seen  from  a balloon 
the  effect  would  be  the  same  as  upon  your  plan ; but  as  we  are  all 
destined  to  look  along  the  ground,  instead  of  vertically  down  upon 
it,  it  will  be  seen  why  curves  that  look  graceful  on  paper  are  likely 
to  be  too  abrupt  and  crooked  in  perspective.  If  the  reader  will 
place  the  paper  plan  nearly  on  a level  with  his  eye,  and  glance 
along  the  line  of  the  proposed  road  or  walk,  he  will  be  able  to 
judge  how  his  curves  will  seem  as  seen  when  walking  towards  or 
upon  them  ; supposing,  of  course,  that  the  ground  to  be  platted 
has  a tolerably  level  surface.  There  • are  several  of  the  plans 
* 


WALKS  AND  ROADS. 


87 


which  follow  whereon  the  walks  will  have  the  appearance,  at  first 
sight,  of  being  awkwardly  direct,  having  neither  the  simplicity  of  a 
straight  line,  nor  the  grace  of  Hogarth’s  line  of  beauty ; but  if 
the  hint  just  given  about  glancing  along  the  line  of  the  walk 
with  the  eye  nearly  on  a level  with  the  paper  is  followed,  they 
will  be  found  more  pleasing. 

There  are  many  places  where  the  house  is  large  compared  with 
the  size  of  the  lot,  on  which  straight  walks  are  not  only  admissible, 
but  where  to  attempt  curved  walks  would  be  ridiculous.  Some  of 
the  succeeding  plans  will  illustrate  such.  The  vignette  of  Chapter 
IV  illustrates  an  elegant  approach  of  this  kind,  over  which  trees 
have  formed  a noble  arch.  Steps  and  copings  of  cut  stone,  with 
pedestals  and  vases,  may  be  designed  to  make  such  entrances  as 
beautiful  architecturally  as  the  means  of  the  proprietor  will  justify. 
The  mere  platting  of  walks  on  such  places  is  too  simple  a matter 
to  require  any  suggestions  here.  All  foot-walks  should  approach 
the  entrance  steps  either  at  right  angles  or  parallel  with  them  ; 
and  in  all  cases  should  start  at  right  angles  with  the  line  of  the 
entrance  gate. 

The  width  of  roads  and  walks  must  vary  according  to  the 
extent  of  the  grounds  and  the  character  of  the  house.  For  a 
cottage  with  small  grounds,  make  the  walks  narrow  rather  than 
wide.  The  apparent  size  of  the  ground  will  be  diminished  by  too 
ambitious  walks.  But  there  are  limits  of  convenience.  A broad 
walk  always  gives  one  a sense  of  freedom  and  ease,  which  is  want- 
ing when  we  must  keep  our  eyes  down  to  avoid  straying  from  the 
narrow  way.  For  small  places,  therefore,  we  must  compromise 
between  the  prettier  external  effect  of  narrow  walks  and  the  greater 
convenience  of  wide  ones.  Four  feet  is  the  least  width  appro- 
priate for  a cottage  main  walk,  and  two  feet  for  the  rear  walks.- 
But  for  most  town  or  suburban  places,  from  four  to  six  feet  for  the 
main  walk  and  three  feet  for  the  rear  walks,  are  appropriate 
widths.  It  is  essential,  however,  that  no  shrubbery  or  flower-beds 
approach  nearer  than  two  feet  from  them.  A walk  three  feet  wide, 
with  two  feet  of  closely-shaven  lawn  on  each  side  of  it,  is  really 
just  as  commodious  as  a walk  six  feet  wide  closely  bordered  or 
overhung  by  rank  annuals  or  gross  shrubs.  At  the  foot  of  the 


88 


WALKS  AND  ROADS. 


steps  it  is  desirable  to  have  greater  width  than  in  other  parts  of 
the  walk. 

The  width  of  carriage-drives  should  be  governed  by  the  same 
considerations  as  the  walks.  Eight  feet  is  the  least  width,  and 
fourteen  feet  the  greatest,  that  will  be  appropriate  to  the  class  of 
places  for  which  this  book  is  designed ; and  whatever  the  width 
elsewhere,  it  should  not  be  less  than  twelve  feet  opposite  the  main 
entrance  steps,  unless  it  traverses  a porte-cochere.  The  turnway  in 
front  of  the  main  entrance  should  be  on  a radius  of  not  less  than 
ten  feet  to  the  inner  line  of  the  road,  and  more  if  space  permits ; 
but  not  to  exceed  a radius  of  twenty  feet,  unless  the  location  of 
trees  or  the  shape  of  the  ground  make  it  specially  desirable  to  turn 
a larger  circuit. 

Opportunities  to  make  or  lose  pleasing  effects  are  always  pre- 
sented where  there  are  trees  or  shrubs  already  grown.  To  conduct 
walks  or  roads  so  as  to  make  them  seem  to  have  grown  there ; to 
arrange  a gateway  under  branches  of  trees  or  between  old  shrubs, 
or  leading  around  or  between  them ; to  have  walks  divide  so  that  a 
tree  shall  mark  their  intersection ; to  weave  a turnway  smoothly 
among  old  tree  trunks — all  such  arts  as  these  are  precisely  the 
small  things  which  prove  the  taste,  or  lack  of  it,  in  the  designer. 

In  making  the  carriage-road  and  the  walks,  there  is  an  immense 
difference  in  expense  between  excessive  thoroughness  and  the 
“ good  enough  ” style.  Digging  out  from  a foot  and  a half  to  two 
feet  of  the  soil  the  whole  width  of  the  road  or  walk,  tile-draining 
on  each  side,  then  filling  up  with  broken  stone  or  scoriae,  and 
finally  covering  the  surface  with  several  inches  of  pure  gravel, 
and  paving  the  gutters  with  pebbles,  is  the  thorough  style.  But 
on  sandy  and  gravelly  soils  we  have  seen  excellent  walks  and 
roads  (for  light  carriages)  made  by  simply  covering  the  ground 
with  from  two  to  three  inches  of  good  gravel  or  slate.  The  prepa- 
ration necessary  for  this  kind  of  road-making  being  to  excavate 
below  the  level  of  the  ^ 

Fig.  19. 

border,  so  as  to  leave  a 
rounded  surface  with  tile 
of  three  to  four  inches 
diameter,  placed  in  the 


WALKS  AND  ROADS. 


89 


bottom  of  trenches  on 
each  side,  as  shown  by 
the  accompanying  sketch. 

Four  inches  thickness  of 
gravel  on  a road  thus  pre- 
pared will,  with  proper  care,  make  an  excellent  road.  On  clay, 
roads  can  be  made  with  no  more  additional  preparation  than  to 
provide  for  a. few  more  inches  of  gravel.  Fig.  20  shows  a suitable 
form  for  such  a roadway.  Of  course  the  grades  of  the  roads 
lengthwise  must  be  such  as  to  carry  the  water  in  the  gutters  and 
drains  to  proper  outlets.  We  suggest  this  method  of  road-making 
for  those  sections  of  the  country  where  stone  is  costly,  and  for 
those  improvers  who  cannot  afford  to  use  a large  amount  of  money 
in  road  foundations. 

The  main  thing  to  secure  good  walks  or  roads  is  constant  care. 
Weeds  and  grass  must  be  kept  from  encroaching  by  the  use  of  the 
hoe  and  edging-spade ; the  gravel  must  be  kept  in  place  by  the  use 
of  the  rake  and  roller.  .No  thoroughness  of  construction  will  make 
such  care  needless,  and  by  it  the  least  expensive  walks  and  roads 
may  be  kept  in  excellent  condition  at  small  cost. 

Solid  stone  flagging,  if  neatly  dressed,  is  of  course  preferable 
for  walks  to  gravel,  and  will  be  used  where  it  can  be  afforded. 
Where  the  asphaltum  or  coal-tar  composition,  now  used  with  great 
success  for  walks  in  the  Central  Park,  can  be  put  down  by  some 
one  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  mode  of  doing  it  well,  it  will 
be  found  a very  fine  material ; but  while  green  it  involves  much 
risk  to  carpets.  Where  the  soil  is  clay,  and  good  gravel  or  com- 
position not  easily  obtained,  (as  in  many  parts  of  the  western 
states,)  and  flagging  is  too  expensive,  seasoned  white  pine  board 
or  plank  walks  may  be  substituted.  These,  if  carefully  laid,  (across 
the  line  of  the  walk,)  and  the  edges  sawed  to  the  requisite  curves 
or  straight  lines,  make  very  comfortable  walks.  The  main  dif- 
ficulty is  to  find  mechanics  who  will  have  skill  and  patience  to  put 
them  down  in  the  graceful  curved  lines  that  are  desired.  Inch 
lumber,  daubed  on  the  under  side  with  hot  coal-tar  to  postpone 
rotting,  will  answer  very  well  for  walks  from  two  to  three  feet 
wide.  For  wider  ones  two-inch  plank  is  recommended. 


Fig.  ao. 


90 


WALKS  AND  ROADS. 


Pine  walks,  if  made  of  good  stuff,  and  tarred  as  suggested,  will 
last  from  eight  to  ten  years ; and  if  sufficient  care  is  used  in  their 
construction,  will  be  found  very  satisfactory  substitutes  for  stone  or 
gravel,  even  for  curved  lines.  For  straight  walks  they  are  always 
satisfactory  as  long  as  sound.  In  districts  where  stone  and  gravel 
are  scarce  and  dear,  they  must  long  continue  in  use  ; and  there  is 
no  reason  why  they  should  not  be  shaped  into  graceful  forms, 
since  wood  is  so  much  more  facile  to  work  than  stone.  Several 
methods  of  preserving  wood  from  decay  are  now  attracting  great 
attention,  and  it  is  believed  that  some  of  them  will  be  effectual 
to  so  increase  the  durability  of  wood  that  its  use  for  walks  will  be 
far  more  desirable  than  heretofore.  It  is  essential  in  all  walks  that 
the  sod  shall  be  about  an  inch  above  the  outer  surface  of  the  walk, 
so  that  a scythe  or  rolling  mower  may  do  its  work  unobstructed  in 
passing  near  or  over  them. 

To  lay  out  the  carriage-drive  and  the  walks  in  conformity  to 
the  paper  plat  that  has  been  made,  is  a work  requiring  some 
patience  and  skill.  There  are  persons  whose  love  for  beautiful 
effects  in  landscape-gardening  is  evident,  who  are  so  wanting  in 
what  is  called  a mechanical  eye,  as  to  be  incompetent  to  lay  out 
their  own  grounds,  even  with  a plat  before  them.  If  you,  kind 
reader,  are  one  of  those,  send  for  the  nearest  good  gardener  to  do 
the  work  for  you ; or  invite  some  friend  or  neighbor,  who  has 
given  evidence  of  this  talent  by  the  making  of  his  own  place,  to 
come  and  help  you.  He  will  not  be  likely  to  turn  away  from  your 
appreciation  of  his  taste  and  skill.  If,  however,  your  ground  is 
large  enough  to  admit  of  much  length  of  wralks,  the  labor  of  laying 
them  out  would  more  properly  devolve  upon  a professional  gar- 
dener— if  such  there  be  in  your  neighborhood.  It  will  not,  how- 
ever, bfe  advisable  to  listen  to  all  the  suggestions  of  improvements 
that  any  “ professional  gardener  ” may  volunteer  for  your  guidance. 
Genuine  landscape-gardeners  are  rare  everywhere,  and  bear  about 
the  same  proportion  to  good  common  gardeners  that  accomplished 
landscape-painters  do  to  house-painters.  The  probabilities  are 
that  your  neighborhood  has  some  gardener  competent  to  plat 
walks,  lay  turf,  cut  your  shrubbery-beds,  and  do  your  planting ; 
but,  ten  chances  to  one,  he  will  lay  more  stress  on  the  form  of  some 


WALKS  AND  ROADS . 


91 


curlecue  of  a flower-bed  than  on  those  beautiful  effects  of  rich 
foliage  and  open  glades — of  shadow  and  sunlight— that  are  often 
produced  with  the  simplest  means  by  Dame  Nature  or  the  true 
landscape-artist.  If,  therefore,  you  have  a well-matured  plan,  and 
the  gardener  is  competent  to  study  it  intelligently,  let  him  make 
suggestions  of  changes  before  the  work  on  the  ground  commences ; 
but  thereafter  oblige  him  either  to  work  faithfully  to  your  plan,  or 
else  furnish  you  with  a better  one ; and  do  not  let  him  bluff  you 
into  an  entire  surrender  by  his  professional  sneers  at  paper  plans. 
Of  course  these  remarks  are  intended  to  apply  to  the  common  run 
of  illiterate  gardeners,  who  have  happened  to  make  a trade  of  this 
species  of  labor,  and  not  to  another  class  who  may  have  chosen 
the  profession  from  a love  for  it,  and  who  have  intelligence  or 
imagination  enough  to  understand  something  of  the  art  of  arrang- 
ing their  sylvan  and  floral  materials  so  as  to  make  pictures  with 
them. 

Almost  every  neighborhood  has  a few  gentlemen  of  superior 
taste  in  such  matters,  whose  dictums  will,  perforce,  help  to  educate 
the  common  run  of  self-sufficient  gardeners ; and  it  is  hoped  that 
so  promising  a field  of  labor  will  soon  attract  the  attention  of 
Americans  of  the  highest  culture,  to  whom  we  can  turn  for  profes- 
sional work  in  ground  designs ; who,  as  Pope  describes  one — 


“ Consults  the  genius  of  the  place  in  all 
That  tells  the  waters  or  to  rise  or  fall ; 

Or  helps  the  ambitious  hill  the  heavens  to  scale, 

Or  scoops  in  circling  theatres  the  vale : 

Calls  in  the  country,  catches  opening  glades, 

Joins  willing  woods,  and  varies  shades  from  shades; 
Now  breaks  or  now  directs  the  intending  lines. 
Paints  as  you  plant , and,  as  you  work , designs  /’* 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ARRANGEMENT  IN  PLANTING. 

THOUGH  set  rules,  in  matters  of  art,  are  sometimes 
“ more  honored  in  the  breach  than  in  the  observance,” 
it  is  also  true  that  every  art  has  certain  general  prin- 
ciples, the  observance  of  which  will  rarely  lead  to  great 
faults,  while  their  violations  may.  We  therefore  hope  that  the 
following  suggestions  or  rules,  drawn  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
small  suburban  grounds,  will  be  of  some  use,  and  serve  as  a 
starting-point  for  that  higher  culture  which  educates  the  intuitive 
perceptions  of  the  artist  to  dispense  with  rules,  or  rather,  perhaps, 
to  work  intuitively  by  rule,  as  an  aesthetic  instinct. 

I.  Preserve  in  one  or  more  places  (according  to  the  size  and  form 
of  the  lot)  the  greatest  le?igth  of  unbroken  law?i  that  the  space  will 
admit  of. 

II.  Plant  betweefi  radiating  lines  from  the  house  to  the  outside  of 
the  lot,  so  as  to  leave  open  lifies  of  view  from  the  principal  windows 
and  entrance  porches  ; also  find  where,  without  injuring  the  views  to 
and from  the  house,  the  best  vistas  may  be  left  from  the  street  into  the 
lot,  and  from  one  point  to  another  across  the  grounds , or  to  points  of 
interest  beyond. 


ARRANGEMENT  IN  PLANTING . 


93 


III.  Plant  the  larger  trees  and  shrubs  farthest  from  the  centre 
of  the  lawn,  so  that' the  smaller  may  be  seen  to  advantage  in  front 
of  them. 

IV.  On  small  lots  pla?it  no  trees  which  quickly  attain  great  size,  if 
it  is  intended  to  have  a variety  of  shrubs  or  flowers. 

V.  In  adding  to  belts  or  groups  of  trees  or  shrubs,  plant  near  the 
saliefit  points , rather  than  in  bays  or  openings. 

VI.  Shrubs  which  rest  upon  the  lawn  should  not  be  planted  nearer 
than  from  six  to  ten  feet  from  the  front  fence,  except  where  intended 
to  form  a contmuous  screen  of  foliage. 

Rule  I. 

Preserve  in  one  or  more  places  (according  to  the  size  and  form 
of  the  lot)  the  greatest  length  of  unbroken  lawn  that  the  space  will 
admit  of. 

To  illustrate  this  rule  we  ask  the  reader’s  attention  to 
some  of  the  plates.  Plate  No.  IV  represents  in  the  simplest 
manner  one  mode  of  observing  it.  It  is  a lot  of  fifty  feet  front, 
and  considerable  depth,  isolated  from  the  adjoining  properties  on 
both  sides  by  a close  fence  or  hedge.  On  it  is  a small  compact 
house,  thrown  back  so  as  to  leave  about  eighty  feet  depth  between 
it  and  the  street.  Each  bay-window  of  the  principal  rooms  has  a 
look-out  upon  all  the  beauty  that  may  be  created  on  this  small 
space.  To  economize  ground  for  the  greatest  extent  of  lawn  pos- 
sible on  this  lot,  the  main  walk  to  the  house  is  entirely  on  one  side 
of  it  and  of  the  line  of  view  out  of  the  bay-windows  over  the 
lawn  ; and  leads  directly  to  the  main  veranda  entrance.  From  the 
bay-windows  to  the  street,  in  a right  line  between  them,  not  a tree, 
shrub,  or  flower  is  to  be  planted.  If  the  grounds  were  of  greater 
extent,  it  would  be  desirable  to  have  the  views  out  of  each  of  these 
windows  different  from  the  other,  so  that  in  going  from  one  room 
to  the  other,  and  looking  out  upon  the  lawn,  it  would  exhibit  a 
fresh  picture.  But  to  attempt  to  divide  this  lawn  into  two  by  a 
middle  line  of  shrubbery  would  belittle  both,  and  crowd  the  shrub- 
bery so  that  nothing  could  be  seen  to  advantage.  The  lot  is  quite 
too  small  to  attempt  a variety  of  views,  and  the  lawn  is  made  to 


94 


ARRANGEMENT  IN  PLANTING. 


look  as  large  as  possible  by  placing  all  trees  and  shrubbery  on  the 
margin  ; in  short,  the  greatest  length  and  brea*dth  of  lawn  that  the 
lot  will  admit  of  is  preserved.  Plate  VII  shows  a village  lot  of  the 
same  frontage  as  the  preceding,  but  on  which  the  house  is  only 
twenty-five  feet  from  the  street.  There  can  be  no  good  breadth  of 
lawn  on  this  lot,  since  the  house  occupies  the  ground  that  forms  the 
lawn  on  Plate  No.  IV.  But  a peculiar  little  vista  over  narrow 
strips  of  lawn  skirting  the  walk  is  obtained  on  entering  the  front 
gate.  This  is  upwards  of  one  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  widens 
out  around  the  flower-bed  S,  so  that  in  perspective,  and  contrasted 
with  the  length  and  narrowness  of  the  strips  of  lawn  near  the 
house,  it  will  give  the  effect  of  greater  distance  and  width  than  it 
has.  Such  a plan  as  this  requires  the  most  skillful  planting  and 
high  keeping.  Indeed,  there  is  more  need  of  skill  to  make  this 
narrow  strip  a pretty  work  of  art  than  on  the  larger  lots  that  are 
planned  for  this  work.  Plates  XIV  and  XV  show  corner  lots 
also  of  fifty  feet  front,  with  houses  entirely  on  one  side  of  the  lot, 
and  lawns  as  long  as  the  depth  will  admit  of,  margined  by  assorted 
small  shrubs  and  clipped  trees.  On  the  former  the  house  is  placed 
against  the  side  street,  leaving  the  lawn  on  the  inside,  and  a pleas- 
ing vista  over  it  to  an  archway  that  opens  into  a long  grape  arbor. 
This  will  make  a lengthened  perspective  of  lawn  and  garden  as 
great  as  the  size  of  the  lot  will  allow.  On  Plate  XV  the  house  is 
placed  so  as  to  leave  the  lawn  space  between  it  and  the  side  street, 
and  the  main  garden  walk  is  arranged  so  that  from  the  back 
veranda  and  the  library  windows  it  will  form  a little  perspective. 
The  latter  plan,  it  will  be  seen,  is  for  a city  basement-house,  while 
the  former  has  a kitchen  on  the  main  floor.  Plates  Nos.  V and 
VI  are  of  lots  60  x 150  feet,  where  the  lawns  occupy  as  great  a 
length  as  can  be  spared  for  decorative  purposes.  These  side  lawns 
are  no  wider  than  those  of  Plates  XIV  and  XV,  as  the  additional 
ten  feet  width  of  lot,  on  the  right,  is  shut  out  of  view,  and  devoted 
to  small  fruits.  This  strip  in  the  hands  of  a garden  artist  might  be 
made  very  charming  in  itself,  but  where  one  man  would  make  it  so, 
a thousand  would  fail.  We  therefore  advise  in  general  not  to 
plant  anything  against  the  walls  of  the  house  in  such  narrow  strips 
as  these,  unless  they  have  the  most  sunny  exposure.  In  towns, 


ARRANGEMENT  IN  PLANTING. 


95 


where  lots  of  this  size  are  built  on,  other  houses  are  usually  so  near 
such  improvements,  as  to  darken  the  ground  with  their  shade. 
The  degree  of  exposure  to  the  sun  and  air  in  these  places  must 
govern  their  use,  but  in  general  it  is  better  to  have  either  grass  or 
pavement  in  them,  or  a paved  walk  and  bedding  plants,  that  may 
be  renewed  from  a green-house.  Plate  XIII  shows  a lot  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  front  by  three  hundred  feet  deep,  on  which  a 
vista  of  unbroken  lawn,  the  entire  depth  of  the  lot,  is  obtained  from 
the  main  entrance.  This  place  is  supposed  to  adjoin  lots  whose 
fronts  are  improved  in  common,  so  that  each  of  the  principal  win- 
dows of  the  house  is  provided  with  a distinct  foreground  for  a 
picture,  the  middle  distance  of  which  will  have  such  character  as 
the  neighboring  improvements  make.  Were  the  ground  improved 
to  conform  to  this  plan  the  effect  would  be  much  finer  than  the 
rather  formal  character  of  the  trees  in  the  design  would  indicate. 

Plates  X and  XI  are  of  lots  two  hundred  feet  front  by  three  hun- 
dred feet  deep.  On  the  former,  the  rule  we  are  endeavoring  to  illus- 
trate is  sacrificed  in  a measure  to  the  requirements  of  an  orchard 
and  kitchen-garden ; on  the  latter,  the  orchard  is  given  up  to  secure 
the  beauty  of  a more  extended  lawn  and  more  elaborate  plantation. 

On  Plate  XXVII  are  some  good  illustrations  of  this  rule  applied 
to  the  laying  out  of  what  are  usually  considered  awkward  forms  of 
lots  to  improve.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  views  from  the  street-corner, 
at  the  point  A,  on  the  right-hand  plan  looking  towards  the  house, 
and  in  other  directions,  are  long,  open,  and  well  varied,  in  the  group- 
ing of  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers.  As  one  walks  along  to  B and  C, 
at  each  opening  between  groups  of  shrubs  the  views  are  over  the 
longest  stretch  of  lawn  that  the  size  of  the  lot  will  admit  of ; while 
the  views  from  the  main  windows  of  the  house,  and  from  the  front 
and  rear  verandas,  are  as  extended  as  possible. 

Plate  XXII,  which  is  designed  to  illustrate  the  advantage  of 
joining  neighboring  improvements,  however  cheap  or  simple  their 
character,  is  an  excellent  illustration  of  the  beauty  and  garden- 
esque  effect  that  may  be  secured  by  leaving  an  unbroken  vista  of 
lawn  and  low  flowers  from  one  side  of  a block  to  the  other,  as 
shown  on  the  line  B C,  though  the  block  is  covered  by  five  inex- 
pensive residences.  The  vignette  of  Chapter  IV  is  a view  taken 


96 


ARRANGEMENT  IN  PLANTING 


from  the  point  A,  and  gives  but  two-thirds  of  the  length  of  view 
that  is  seen  from  either  of  the  side  streets.  Of  course  the  flowers 
to  be  planted  in  the  beds  on  the  lawn  in  the  above  line  of  view, 
should  be  only  those  which  grow  within  a few  inches  of  the  ground ; 
otherwise  the  effect  intended  would  be  marred. 

Plate  XXIX  is  a good  example,  on  a larger  scale,  of  long  and 
open  views. 

Plate  XXI  is  an  illustration  of  the  rule  to  which  we  ask  the 
reader’s  attention,  as  an  example  of  triple  vistas  on  a lot  only  one 
hundred  feet  wide ; first,  that  formed  by  the  small  shrubs  and 
flowers  bordering  the  main  walk,  with  the  terrace  steps  and  the 
house  bounding  the  view  at  one  end,  and  a hemlock  archway  at  the 
other.  From  the  bay-windows  of  the  house  the  two  other  divisions 
of  the  lawn  are  designed  to  show  to  the  best  advantage,  and  over 
the  low  clipped  parts  of  the  front  hedge,  at  a a , made  low  for  this 
purpose,  their  beauty  can  also  be  seen  by  passers  on  the  street. 

Rule  II. 


Plant  between  radiating  lines  from  the  house  to  the  outside  of 
the  lot , so  as  to  leave  open  lines  of  view  fro?n  the  prmcipal  windows 
aiid  entrance  porches  ; also  find  where,  without  injuring  the  views  to 
and  from  the  house,  the  best  vistas  may  be  left  from  the  street  into  the 
lot,  and  fro?n  one  point  to  another  across  the  grounds,  or  to  points  of 
interest  beyond. 


9? 


4 

ARRANGE  M ENT  IN  PLANTING. 

The  accompanying  plan,  adapted  from  Loudon,  gives  a good 
illustration  of  the  observance  of  the  second  rule.  The  plan  repre- 
sents the  part  of  a lot  in  the  rear  of  the  dwelling,  all  of  which  is 
devoted  to  lawn  and  decorative  planting  ; the  entrance-front  being 
close  to  the  street.  The  plantation  is  supposed  to  be  entirely 
secluded  from  the  street  and  from  contiguous  properties  by  walls. 
The  space  covered  is  about  150  x 300  feet.  The  dotted  lines 
radiating  from  the  bow-window  show  the*  apparently  loose,'  but 
really  well  studied  distribution  of  groups  of  trees  and  shrubs  in 
radiating  lines.  On  the  right,  one  of  these  groups  forms  a screen 
of  shrubbery  to  divide  the  lawn  from  the  elaborate  flower-garden 
which  forms  the  distinctive  feature  of  the  view  from  the  dining- 
room window.  On  smaller  lots  the  first  part  of  the  second  rule 
cannot  be  illustrated  with  so  much  effect,  but  a general  conformity 
to  it  may  be  observed  in  many  of  our  larger  plans. 

Plate  II  represents  a lot  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  front  by 
two  hundred  and  fifty  deep,  where  the  house  is  placed  much  nearer 
the  front  of  the  lot,  and  nearly  in  the  centre.  So  placed,  the  long- 
est views  over  its  lawn  cannot  be  obtained  from  the  house  in  any 
direction,  but  from  many  points  in  the  front  street,  and  within  the 
grounds,  the  lines  of  view  are  as  long  and  unbroken  as  the  size  of 
the  lot  will  admit  of ; while  a partial  privacy  is  given  to  the  space 
between  the  bay-windows  and  the  side  street,  by  a close  plantation 
of  hedge  and  shrubbery.  Openness,  rather  than  privacy,  is  the 
characteristic  of  this  plan,  however,  and  its  best  views  are  obtained 
on  entering  or  passing  it.  Yet  the  lawn,  as  seen  from  the  bay- 
windows,  will  be  broken  by  shrubs  and  trees  into  a much  greater 
variety  of  views  than  a careless  examination  of  the  plan  would  lead 
one  to  suppose.  From  o,  at  the  intersection  of  the  two  streets, 
the  eye  ranges  between  two  near  groups  of  shrubbery,  which  frame 
the  view  over  the  lawn  to  the  bay-windows  ; and  on  the  right,  in 
front  of  the  back  veranda,  between  slender  conical  trees,  a flower- 
bed and  a pyramid  of  roses,  under  the  shade  of  fruit  trees  in  the 
back  yard,  to  the  carriage-house  front: — a distance  equal  to  the 
entire  length  of  the  lot.  From  the  point  marked  2,  the  view 
changes  ; the  croquet-ground,  and  the  intervening  compact  shrubs 
and  flower-beds,  and  an  evergreen  group  at  g , come  into  view. 
7 


98 


♦ 

ARRANGEMENT  IN  PLANTING . 

Or  the  eye  rests  on  the  near  group  of  shrubs  opposite  Fig.  3 ; 
or  to  the  left,  ranges  to  the  various  groups  on  that  side  .of  the 
grounds.  At  Fig.  5 the  view  on  the  right,  of  the  trees,  hedge,  and 
shrubbery,  from  g to  w , together  with  pleasing  views  in  other  direc- 
tions, make  this  point  the  one  from  which  the  whole  place  is  seen 
to  the  best  advantage.  The  views  through  the  archway  of  trees 
over  the  front  gateway  are  pleasing  in  every  direction ; and  in  the 
line  towards  u , extend  nearly  the  entire  length  of  the  lot.  This 
form  of  lot,  when  the  house  is  so  near  the  centre,  is  less  adapted  to 
illustrate  the  rule  under  consideration  than  most  others,  and  we 
have  pointed  out  its  peculiarities  in  this  connection  to  show  the 
effort  to  conform  to  the  rule  under  adverse  circumstances.  The 
reader  will  please  to  observe  on  this  plan  a dotted  line  from  d to 
the  left,  parallel  with  the  front  street.  This  is  forty  feet  from  the 
front.  Within  a distance  from  ten  to  fifty  feet  from  such  fronts  is 
usually  the  part  which  should  be  left  unplanted,  in  order  that  all 
the  places  in  the  block  may,  on  that  line,  form  a continuous 
lawn  of  such  park-like  character  as  no  one  lot  could  furnish.  Most 
of  our  plans  are  designed  in  this  manner  to  secure  the  advantages 
of  associate  improvements,  and  “ views  from  one  point  to  another 
across  the  grounds,  or  to  some  point  of  interest  beyond  the 
grounds.” 


Rule  III. 

Plant  the  larger  trees  and  shrubs  farthest  from  the  centre  of  the 
lawn , so  that  the  smaller  may  be  seen  to  advantage  in  front  of  them. 

The  necessity  of  observing  the  third  rule,  in  small  places,  is  so 
obvious,  and  it  is  so  easy  to  follow,  if  one  but  knows  the  character 
of  the  trees  and  shrubs  he  is  using,  that  few  remarks  upon  it 
are  necessary.  The  vignette  at  the  head  of  this  chapter  is  intended 
as  an  illustration  of  the  great  number  and  variety  of  shrubs  and 
small  trees  which  may  be  exhibited  in  a single  group,  in  such  a 
manner  that  each  may  show  its  peculiar  beauty  without  concealing 
any  of  the  others,  and  at  the  same  time  form  a harmonious  col- 
lection. Not  less  than  twenty  species  of  trees  and  shrubs  may  be 
seen  at  once  in  such  a group,  each  growing  to  a perfect  develop- 


ARRANGEMENT  IN  PLANTING. 


99 


ment  of  its  best  form ; while  by  a different  arrangement  in  planting, 
the  beauties  of  all  the  smaller  shrubs  might  be  lost  to  the  eye,  and 
their  growth  marred  by  the  domineering  habits  of  the  larger  ones. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  in  this  vignette  the  weeping  elm  forms  the 
centre  of  the  group.  Close  to  it  may  be  planted  some  of  the  large 
shrubs  which  flourish  in  partial  shade  and  under  the  drip  of  trees. 
Outside  of  these  a few  of  the  smallest  class  of  trees,  of  peculiar 
and  diverse  forms,  and  then  the  smaller  and  finer  shrubbery 
arranged  to  carry  out  the.  spirit  of  the  rule.  No  engraving, 
however,  can  do  justice  to  the  variety  of  character  in  foliage, 
flowers,  forms,  and  colors,  that  such  a group  may  be  made  to 
exhibit. 

Rule  IV. 

On  small  lots  plant  no  trees  which  quickly  attain  great  size , if  it  is 
intended  to  have  a variety  of  shrubs  or  flowers. 

The  fourth  rule  is  somewhat  difficult  to  illustrate,  because  of 
the  frequency  with  which  good  taste  may  insist  on  exceptions  to  it. 
Few  suburban  places  are  so  small  that  one  or  two  large  trees,  not 
far  from  the  house,  will  not  add  greatly  to  their  home-look  and 
summer  comfort.  Trees  which  overhang  the  house  and  form  a 
background,  or  vernal  frame-work  for  it,  are  the  crowning  beauty 
of  a home  picture.  But,  in  planting  small  lots,  the  need  of  a few 
fruit  trees,  such  as  cherries  and  pears,  which  one  cannot  well  do 
without,  and  which,  for  the  safety  of  the  fruit,  must  be  near  or 
behind  the  house,  is  a necessity  that  obliges  us  to  dispense  with 
the  grandeur  of  great  trees  where  their  beauty  is  most  effective, 
and  to  endeavor  to  develop  another  type  of  beauty  for  small 
places,  viz. : that  of  artistic  elegance  in  the  treatment  of  small 
things.  And  it  is  some  satisfaction  to  know  that,  with  the  latter, 
what  we  attempt  may  be  achieved  in  a few  years,  while,  if  we  set 
about  planting  to  secure  the  nobler  effect  of  large  trees,  a life-time 
will  be  required  to  see  its  consummation.  Where  any  large  tree  is 
already  growing,  the  style  of  planting  must  conform  to  its  position, 
size,  and  character  ; but  where  the  plantation  is  on  a bare  site,  the 
rule  is  a proper  one  to  follow.  In  the  former  case  the  fine  tree  is 


LOO 


ARRANGEMENT  IN  PLANTING. 


to  be  considered  “ master  of  the  situation/'  and  all  things  are  to  be 
arranged  with  due  regard  to  it ; but  in  the  latter  there  is  an  open 
field  for  the  taste  and  judgment. 

Rule  V. 

In  adding  to  belts  or  groups  of  trees  or  shrubs , plant  near  the 
salient  points , ?'ather  than  in  bays  or  openings. 

The  fifth  rule  is  one  which  novices  in  planting  are  always  vio- 
lating. It  is  such  a temptation  to  plant  a tree  or  shrub  “ where 
there  is  most  room  for  it,”  and  “ where  it  will  show  handsomely,” 
that  the  ignorant  planter  at  once  selects  some  clear  place  on  his 
lawn,  or  some  open  bay,  for  the  new  comer ; quite  forgetful  that  a 
few  such  plantings  will  break  the  prettiest  of  lawns  into  insignifi- 
cant fragments,,  and  change  the  sunny  projections  and  shadowy 
bays  of  a shrubbery  border  into  a lumpish  wall  of  verdure. 

The  placement  of  large  and  showy  bedding  plants  or  annuals 
and  perennials  must  be  made  on  the  same  principle.  They  are 
to  be  regarded  as  shrubs,  and  the  places  for  them  must  be  deter^ 
mined  by  their  usual  size  at  midsummer. 

Low-growing  flowers,  or  brilliant-leaved  and  bushy  plants,  may 
occasionally  be  relieved  to'  advantage  in  the  shady  bays  of  a shrub- 
bery border,  especially  if  a walk  leads  near  them ; but  in  general, 
flower-beds  (except  such  as  are  formed  into  artistic  groups  as  a 
special  feature  of  a window-view),  should  be  either  near  walks 
or  the  points  of  shrubbery  projections.  Like  gay  flags  on  a 
parade  ground,  they  show  to  best  advantage  in  the  van  of  the 
advanced  columns. 

Rule  VI. 

Shrubs  which  rest  upon  the  lawn  should  not  be  planted  nearer 
than  from  six  to  ten  feet  from  the  front  fence , except  where  intended 
to  form  a continuous  screen  of  foliage. 

The  sixth  rule  is  one  which  may  not  be  practicable  to  follow  on 
very  small  lots,  or  where  the  space  is  narrow  between  the  house 
and  the  street ; but  there  would  be  a marked  improvement  in  the 


ARRANGE  M ENT  IN  PLANTING. 


101 


appearance  of  most  places  by  its  observance.  In  the  first  place, 
the  shrubs  themselves,  which,  it  must  be  supposed,  are  only 
planted  because  they  are  beautiful,  will  show  to  much  better  ad- 
vantage with  this  introductory  laWn  or  foreground  to  spread  upon. 
To  crowd  against  a fence  groups  of  shrubs  which  will  bend  grace- 
fully to  the  lawn  on  every  side  if  room  is  given  them,  is  much  like 
the  misplacement  of  elegant  robes  in  a crowd,  where  they  may  be 
injured,  but  can  never  be  seen  to  advantage.  Such  a strip  of 
introductory  lawn  is  to  the  ground  what  a broad  threshold  stone  is 
to  the  house  entrance,  giving  the  place  a generous  air,  and  seeming 
to  say  that . the  proprietor  is  not  so  stinted  for  room  that  he  must 
needs  crowd  his  sylvan  company  into  the  street.  Yet  it  must  fre- 
quently happen  that  the  exigencies  of  small  or  peculiarly  shaped 
lots,  require  a violation  of  this  rule,  in  order  to  secure  suffi- 
cient breadth  of  lawn  within,  to  present  a good  appearance 
from  the  house.  The  plans  on  Plates  XXII,  XXIII,  XXIV,  and 
XXVII,  are  examples  of  this  necessity.  Plates  II,  XII,  XIII,  and 
XVIII,  on  the  other  hand,  show  a general  attention  to  the  rule  ; 
while  in  the  other  plans  it  is  kept  in  view  more  or  less,  as  the  cir- 
cumstances of  each  case  seem  to  require. 

There  is  another  matter  which  can  hardly  be  made  the  subject 
of  any  rules,  but  yet  demands,  the  attention  of  every  planter. 
Nearly  all  trees  and  shrubs  are  more  beautiful  on  their  southerly 
than  on  their  northerly  sides,  and  some  trees  which  glow  with 
beauty  towards  the  sun  are  meagre  and  unsightly  towards  the 
north.  This  fact  must  therefore  be  borne  in  mind  in  deciding 
where  to  plant  favorite  trees  or  shrubs,  so  that  their  fairest  sides 
maybe  towards  those  points  from  which  they  will  be  most  seen ; 
and  as  there  are  a few  varieties  and  species  of  trees  which  are 
beautiful  on  all  sides — the  box  and  hemlock,  for  instance — they 
may  be  placed  in  locations  where  the  others  will  not  show  to 
advantage. 


CHAPTER  XI  I. 

RELATIVE  BEAUTY  OF  LAWN,  TREES,  SHRUBS,  AND 
FLOWERS. 

THE  true  lover  of  nature  is  so  omnivorous  in  his  tastes, 
that  for  him  to  classify  her  family  into  different  grades  of 
usefulness  or  beauty,  is  about  as  difficult  a task  as  to 
name  which  of  her  vegetable  productions  is  the  best 
food.  But  though  a variety  is  better  than  any  one,  there  is,  in 
both  cases,  strong  ground  for  a decided  choice  ; and  we  repeat 
what  has  already  been  suggested,  that,  of  all  the  external  decora- 
tions of  a home,  a well  kept  Lawn  is  the  most  essential.  Imagine 
the  finest  trees  environing  a dwelling,  but  everywhere  beneath 
them  only  bare  ground : then  picture  the  same  dwelling  with  a 
velvet  greensward  spreading  away  from  it  on  all  sides,  without  a 
tree  or  shrub  upon  it,  and  choose  which  is  the  most  pleasing  to  the 
eye.  The  question  of  value  is  not  to  be  considered,  but  simply 
which,  in  connection  with  the  dwelling,  will  make  the  most  satis- 
factory impression  on  the  mind.  The  fine  trees  are  vastly  the 


VALUE  OF  TREES. 


103 


more  valuable,  because  it  requires  half  a life-time  to  obtain  them, 
while  the  lawn  may  be  perfected  in  two  or  three  years. 

The  comparative  value  of  trees  and  shrubs  depends  much  on 
the  extent  of  the  ground  and  the  taste  of  the  occupants.  If  the  lot 
is  small,  and  the  family  has  a decided  appreciation  of  the  varied 
characteristics  of  different  shrubs,  they  will  have  much  more  pleas- 
ure from  a fine  collection  of  them  than,  from  the  few  trees  which 
their  lot  could  accommodate.  But  if  the  occupants  are  not  par- 
ticularly appreciative  of  the  varied  beauties  of  smaller  vegetation, 
then  a few  trees  and  a good  lawn  only,  will  be  more  appropriate  for 
their  home.  Larger  lots  can  have  both,  but  the  foregoing  con- 
sideration may  govern  the  preponderance  of  one  or  the  other. 
When  once  the  planting  fever  is  awakened,  too  many  of  both  are 
likely  to  be  planted \ and  grounds  will  be  stuffed  rather  than 
beautified. 

One  full  grown  oak,  elm,  maple,  chestnut,  beech,  or  sycamore 
will  cover  with  its  branches  nearly  a quarter  of  an  acre.  Allow- 
ing seventy  feet  square  for  the  spread  of  each  tree  (all  the  above 
varieties  being  occasionally  much  larger),  nine  such  trees  would 
completely  cover  an  acre.  But  as  we  plant  for  ourselves,  instead 
of  for  our  children,  it  will  be  sufficient  in  most  suburban  planting 
to  allow  for  half-grown,  rather  than  full-grown  trees.  Grounds, 
however,  which  are  blessed  with  grand  old  trees  should  have  them 
cherished  lovingly — they  are  treasures  that  money  cannot  buy — 
and  should  be  guarded  with  jealous  care  against  the  admission  of 
little  evergreens  and  nursery  trees,  which  new  planters  are  apt  to 
huddle  under  and  around  them,  to  the  entire  destruction  of  the 
broad  stretches  of  lawn  which  large  trees  require  in  order  to  reveal 
the  changing  beauty  of  their  shadows.  Where  such  trees  exist,  if 
you  would  make  the  most  of  the  ground,  lavish  your  care  in 
enriching  the  soil  over  their  vast  roots,  and  perfecting  the  lawn 
around  them ; and  then  arrange  for  shrubs  and  flowers  away  from 
their  mid-day  shadows.  Even  fine  old  fruit  trees,  if  standing  well 
apart  on  a lawn,  will  often  give  a dignity  and  a comfortable  home- 
look  to  a place  that  is  wanting  in  places  which  are  surrounded  only 
with  new  plantings. 

But  it  is  an  unfortunate  fact  that  nine-tenths  of  all  the  town  and 


104 


BEAUTY  OF  SHRUBBERIES. 


suburban  lots  built  on  are  bare  of  trees,  and  therefore,  after  the 
attainment  of  a fine  lawn,  the  lowly  beauties  of  shrubs  and  flowers, 
with  all  their  varied  luxuriance  of  foliage  and  fragrant  bloom,  must 
be  the  main  features  of  the  place,  while  the  trees  are  also  growing 
in  their  midst  which  may  eventually  over-top  and  supersede  them. 
If  one  could  imagine  Americans  to  live  their  married  lives,  each 
pair  in  one  home,  what  a pleasing  variety  might  the  changing  years 
bring  them.  An  unbroken  lawn  around  the  dwelling  should  typify 
the  unwritten  page  in  the  opening  book  of  earnest  life.  Young 
trees  planted  here  and  there  upon  it  would  suggest  looking  forward 
to  the  time  when,  under  their  grand  shadows,  the  declining  years  of 
the  twain  may  be  spent  in  dignity  and  repose.  Flowers  and  shrubs 
meanwhile  repay  with  grateful  beauty  all  their  care,  until,  over- 
shadowed by  the  nobler  growth,  they  are  removed  as  cumberers  of 
the  ground,  and  give  way  to  the  simplicity  that  becomes  “ a fine 
old  home.” 

Most  small  places  can  be  much  more  charmingly  planted  with 
shrubs  alone,  than  with  trees  and  shrubs  mingled.  Indeed,  it  is 
one  of  the  greatest  blunders  of  inexperienced  planters  to  put  in 
trees  where  there  is  only  room  enough  for  shrubs.  A small  yard 
may  be  made  quite  attractive  by  the  artistic  management  of  shrubs 
and  flowers  whose  size  is  adapted  to  the  contracted  ground ; but 
the  same  place  would  be  so  filled  up  by  the  planting  of  a cherry 
tree  or  a horse-chestnut,  that  no  such  effect  could  be  produced. 

Where  the  decorative  portion  of  the  grounds  do  not  exceed  a 
half  acre,  there  can  be  little  question  of  the  superior  beauty  of 
shrubberies  to  the  very  small  collection  of  trees  that  such  narrow 
limits  can  accommodate.  The  greatly  increased  beauty  of  shrubs 
when  seen  upon  a lawn  without  any  shadowing  of  trees,  nor 
crowded  one  side  or  another  “ to  fill-up,”  can  only  be  appreciated 
by  those  who  have  seen  the  elegance  of  a tastefully  arranged  place 
planted  with  shrubs  alone. 

The  part  which  annuals  and  low  growing  flowers  should  have 
in  home  surroundings  may  be  compared  with  the  lace,  linen,  and 
ribbon  decorations  of  a lady’s  dress — being  essential  ornaments, 
and  yet  to  be  introduced  sparingly.  Walks  may  be  bordered,  and 
groups  pointed,  and  bays  in  the  shrubbery  brightened  by  them  ; 


GARDEN  DECORATIONS. 


105 


or  geometrically  arranged  groups  of  flower-beds  may  be  introduced 
in  the  foreground  of  important  window  views  ; but  beware  of  fre- 
quently breaking  open  stretches  of  lawn  for  them.  Imagine  bits  of 
lace  or  bows  of  ribbon  stuck  promiscuously  over  the  body  and  skirt 
of  a lady’s  dress.  “ How  vulgar ! ” you  exclaim.  Put  them  in  their 
appropriate  places  and  what  charming  points  they  make ! Let 
your  lawn  be  your  home’s  velvet  robe,  and  your  flowers  its  not  too 
promiscuous  decorations. 

Of  constructive  garden  decorations  (in  which  are  included  pillars 
and  trellises  for  vines,  screens,  arbors,  summer-houses,  seats,  rock- 
work,  terraces,  vases,  fountains,  and  statuary),  and  their  compara- 
tive value,  we  will  merely  say  that  really  tasteful  and  durable 
ornamentation  of  that  kind  is  rather  expensive,  and  therefore  to 
be  weighed  well  in  the  balance  with  expenditures  of  the  same 
money  for  other  modes  of  embellishment  before  ordering  such 
work. 

The  following  remarks  from  Kemp’s  admirable  little  work  on 
Landscape  Gardening*  express  our  views  so  fully  that  we  will 
give  them  entire : 

. “A'  garden  may  also  be  overloaded  with  a variety  of  things 
which,  though  ornamental  in  themselves,  and  not  at  all  out  of  keep- 
ing with  the  house,  or  the  principal  elements  of  the  landscape, 
may  yet  impart  to  it  an  affected  or  ostentatious  character.  An 
undue  introduction  of  sculptured  or  other  figures,  vases,  seats,  and 
arbors,  baskets  for  plants,  and  such  like  objects,  will  come  within 
the  limits  of  this  description.  And  there  is  nothing  of  which  peo- 
ple in  general  are  so  intolerant  in  others,  as  the  attempt,  when 
glaringly  and  injudiciously  made,  to  crowd  within  a confined  space 
the  appropriate  adornments  of  the  most  ample  garden.  It  is  in- 
variably taken  as  evidence  of  a desire  to  appear  to  be  and  to 
possess  that  which  the  reality  of  the  case  will  not  warrant,  and  is 
visited  with  the  reprobation  and  contempt  commonly  awarded  to 


* This  is  an  English  work  entitled  “ How  to  lay  out  a Garden,”  a work  so  complete  and 
well  condensed,  that*  were  it  not  for  the  difference  in  the  climate,  and  in  the  style  of  living  (and 
consequently  of  the  plans  of  dwellings,  and  their  outbuildings  and  garden  connections),  which 
English  thoroughness  and  cheaper  labor  make  practicable,  there  had  been  no  need  of  this 
book. 


LOB 


GARDEN  DECORATIONS. 


ill-grounded  assumption.  An  unpresuming  garden,  like  a modest 
individual,  may  have  great  defects  without  challenging  criticism ; 
and  will  even  be  liked  and  praised  because  of  its  very  unobtrusive- 
ness. But  where  a great  deal  is  attempted,  and  there  is  much  of 
pretension,  whether  in  persons  or  things,  scrutiny  seems  invited, 
incongruities  are  magnified,  and  actual  merits  are  passed  by  un- 
noticed, or  distorted  into  something  quite  ridiculous. ” 

The  improver  must  decide,  before  he  begins  to  plan  for  plant- 
ing, what  the  size  and  features  of  his  lot,  and  his  own  circum- 
stances, will  enable  him  to  accomplish  most  perfectly. 

If  there  are  trees  or  shrubs  already  of  good  size  growing  on 
the  lot,  the  first  study  should  be  to  develop  and  exhibit  all  their 
traits  to  the  best  advantage ; and  to  this  end  a rich  soil  and  a 
perfected  lawn  are  the  most  essential. 

If  the  lot  is  bare  of  trees,  a smooth  surface  and  fine  lawn  are 
still  ground-works  precedent  to  planting,  whether  the  lot  be  large 
or  small.  If  large  enough,  choose  among  large  trees  the  principal 
features  of  its  embellishment ; if  less  than  an  acre,  plant  sparingly 
trees  of  the  first  class ; if  a rood,  or  but  little  more,  then  lawn, 
shrubs  and  flowers  should  be  its  only  verdant  furniture. 

We  class  among  shrubs  many  dwarf  evergreens,  which,  be- 
cause they  belong  to  species  which  usually  attain  large  size,  are 
included  in  nursery  catalogues  under  the  head  of  trees.  They 
will  be  found  classified  in  our  Appendix.  We  also  regard  as 
shrubs,  in  effect,  those  vigorous  growing  annuals  or  perennials 
like  the  ricinus,  cannas,  dahlias,  and  hollyhocks,  which  grow  too 
high  to  be  seen  over , and  which  cast  shadows  on  the  lawn  near 
them. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  LAWN. 

“Whether  we  look,  or  whether  we  listen, 

We  hear  life  murmur,  or  see  it  glisten ; 

- Every  clod  feels  a stir  of  might, 

An  instinct  within  it  that  reaches  and  towers, 

And,  groping  blindly  above  it  for  light, 

Climbs  to  a soul  in  grass  and  flowers.” 

Lowell. 


“ On  each  side  shrinks  the  bowery  shade, 

Before  me  spreads  an  emerald  glade; 

The  sunshine  steeps  its  grass  and  moss, 

That  couch  my  footsteps  as  I cross.” 

Alfred  B.  Street. 

A SMOOTH,  closely  shaven  surface  of  grass  is  by  far  the 
most  essential  element  of  beauty  on  the  grounds  of  a 
suburban  home.  Dwellings,  all  the  rooms  of  which 
may  be  filled  with  elegant  furniture,  but  with  rough  uncarpeted 
floors,  are  no  more  incongruous,  or  in  ruder  taste,  than  the  shrub 
and  tree  and  flower-sprinkled  yards  of  most  home-grounds,  where 
shrubs  and  flowers  mingle  in  confusion  with  tall  grass,  or  ill-defined 


108 


THE  L A WN. 


borders  of  cultivated  ground.  Neatness  and  order  are  as  essential 
to  the  pleasing  effect  of  ground  furniture  as  of  house  furniture. 
No  matter  how  elegant  or  appropriate  the  latter  may  be,  it  will 
never  look  well  in  the  home  of  a slattern.  And  however  choice 
the  variety  of  shrubs  and  flowers,  if  they  occupy  the  ground  so  that 
there  is  no  pleasant  expanse  of  close-cut  grass  to  relieve  them,  they 
cannot  make  a pretty  place.  The  long  grass  allowed  to  grow  in 
town  and  suburban  grounds,  after  the  spring  gardening  fever  is 
over,  neutralizes  to  a certain  degree  all  attempts  of  the  lady  or 
gentleman  of  the  house  to  beautify  them,  though  they  spend  ever 
so  much  in  obtaining  the  best  shrubs,  trees,  or  flowers  the  neigh- 
bors or  the  nurseries  can  furnish.  It  is  not  necessary  to  have  an 
acre  of  pleasure  ground  to  secure  a charming  lawn.  Its  extent 
may  always  be  proportioned  to  the  size  of  the  place ; and  if  the 
selection  of  flowers  and  shrubs  and  their  arrangement  is  properly 
made,  it  is  surprising  how  small  a lawn  will  realize  some  of  the 
most  pleasing  effects  of  larger  ones.  A strip  twenty  feet  wide  and 
a hundred  feet  long  may  be  rendered,  proportionally,  as  artistic  as 
the  landscape  vistas  of  a park. 

And  it  needs  but  little  more  to  have  room  to  realize  by  art,  and 
with  shadowing  trees,  the  sparkling  picture  that  the  poet,  Alfred  B. 
Street,  thus  presents  in  his  “Forest  Walk.” 

“A  narrow  vista,  carpeted 
With  rich  green  grass,  invites  my  tread: 

Here  showers  the  light  in  golden  dots, 

There  sleeps  the  shade  in  ebon  spots, 

So  blended  that  the  very  air 
Seems  net-work  as  I enter  there.” 


To  secure  a good  lawn,  a rich  soil  is  as  essential  as  for  the 
kitchen  garden.  On  small  grounds  the  quickest  and  best  way 
of  making  a lawn  is  by  turfing.  There  are  few  neighborhoods 
where  good  turf  cannot  be  obtained  in  pastures  or  by  road- 
sides. No  better  varieties  of  grass  for  lawns  can  be  found 
than  those  that  form  the  turf  of  old  and  closely  fed  pastures. 
Blue-grass  and  white  clover  are  the  staple  grasses  in  them,  though 
many  other  varieties  are  usually  found  with  these,  in  smaller 
proportions. 


THE  LA  W N. 


109 


The  ground  should  be  brought  to  as  smooth  slopes  or  levels  'as 
possible  before  laying  the  turf,  as  much  of  the  polished  beauty  of 
a perfected  lawn  will  depend  on  this  precaution.  If  the  ground 
has  been  recently  spaded  or  manured,  it  should  be  heavily  tramped 
or  rolled'  before  turfing,  to  guard  against  uneven  settling.  A tol- 
erably compact  soil  makes  a closer  turf  than  a light  one.  Marly 
clay  is  probably  the  best  soil  for  grass,  though  far  less  agreeable 
for  gardening  operations  generally  than  a sandy  loam.  After  com- 
pacting the  soil  to  prevent  uneven  settling,  a few  inches  on  top 
must  be  lightly  raked  to  facilitate  laying  the  turf,  and  the  striking 
of  new  roots.  Before  winter  begins  all  newly  laid  turf  should 
be  covered  with  a few  inches  of  manure.  After  the  ground 
settles  in  the  spring  this  should  be  raked  off  with  a fine-toothed 
rake,  and  the  lawn  then  well  rolled.  The  manure  will  have  pro- 
tected the  grass  from  the  injurious  effect  of  sudden  freezing  and 
thawing  in  the  winter  and  early  spring,  and  the  rich  washings  from 
it  gives  additional  color  and  vigor  to  the  lawn  the  whole  season. 
The  manure  raked  from  the  grass  is  just  what  is  needed  to  dig  into 
the  beds  for  flowers  and  shrubs,  or  for  mulching  trees.  This  fall 
manuring  is  essential  to  newly  set  turf,  and  is  scarcely  less  bene- 
ficial if  repeated  every  year.  Cold  soap-suds  applied  from  a sprink- 
ling-pot or  garden-hose  when  rains  are  abundant,  is  the  finest  of 
summer  manure  for  grass.  If  applied  in  dry  weather  it  should  be 
diluted  with  much  additional  water.  The  old  rhyme — 

“ Clay  on  sand  manures  the  land, 

Sand  on  clay  is  thrown  away” 

is  eminently  true  in  relation  to  the  growth  of  grass.  The  clay 
should  always  be  applied  late  in  autumn. 

If  grounds  are  so  large  that  turfing  is  too  expensive,  the  soil 
should  be  prepared  as  recommended  above  for  turfing,  and  seeded 
as  early  in  the  spring  as  the  ground  can  be  thoroughly  prepared 
and  settled.  If  the  surface  has  been  prepared  the  preceding 
autumn,  then  it  will  be  found  a good  practice  to  sow  the  grass  seed 
upon  a thin  coating  of  snow  which  falls  frequently  early  in  March. 
Seed  can  be  sown  more  evenly  on  snow,  because  better  seen,  than 
on  the  ground. 


no 


THE  L A W N. 


A variety  of  opinions  prevail  concerning  the  best  grasses  for 
seeding.  It  will  be  safe  to  say  that  for  lawns  timothy  and  red 
clover  are  totally  unsuited,  and  that  the  grasses  which  make  the 
best  pastures  in  the  neighborhood,  will  make  the  best  lawns.  The 
following  mixture  for  one  bushel  of  seed  is  recommended  in  Hen- 
derson’s Manual  of  Floriculture,  viz  : 

12  quarts  Rhode  Island  Bent  Grass. 

4 quarts  creeping  Bent  Grass, 
io  quarts  Red- top. 

3 quarts  Sweet  Vernal  Grass. 

2 quarts  Kentucky  Blue  Grass, 
i quart  White  Clover. 

We  have  seen  very  successful  lawns  made  with  equal  parts,  by 
weight , of  Kentucky  blue  grass,  red-top,  and  white  clover  seed. 
The  quantity  required  is  about  a half  bushel  to  each  one  hundred 
feet  square. 

When  rains  are  frequent,  no  lawn  can  be  brought  to  perfection 
if  cut  less  often  than  otice  a week , and  two  weeks  is  the  longest  time 
a lawn  should  remain  uncut,  except  in  periods  of  total  suspension 
of  growth  by  severe  drouth.  Where  shrubs  and  flowers  are  placed 
properly,  there  will  always  be  clear  space  enough  to  swing  a lawn 
scythe  or  roll  a lawn  machine.  Only  in  the  most  contracted  yards 
should  there  be  nooks  and  corners,  or  strips  of  grass,  that  an  or- 
dinary mower  cannot  get  at  easily,  and  without  endangering  either 
the  plants  or  his  temper.  Places  that  are  so  cluttered  with 
flowers,  trees,  and  shrubs  that  it  becomes  a vexatious  labor  for 
a good  mower  to  get  in  among  them,  are  certainly  not  well 
planted.  Good  taste,  therefore,  in  arrangement,  will  have  for  its 
first  and  durable  fruits,  ecotiomy , a product  of  excellent  flavor 
for  all  who  desire  to  create  beauty  around  their  homes,  but  who 
can  illy  afford  to  spend  much  money  to  effect  it,  or  to  waste  any  in 
failing  to  effect  it.  The  advice  to  plant  so  as  to  leave  sufficient 
breadth  to  swing  a scythe  wherever  there  is  any  lawn  at  all,  is  none 
the  less  useful,  though  the  admirable  little  hand-mowing  machines 
take  the  place  of  the  scythe  ; for  a piece  of  lawn  in  a place  where  a 
scythe  cannot  be  swung,  is  not  worth  maintaining. 


THE  LA  W N. 


Ill 


Rolling  mowers  by  horse  or  hand  power  have  been  principally 
employed  on  large  grounds ; but  the  hand  machines  are  now  so 
simplified  and  cheapened  that  they  are  coming  into  general  use  on 
small  pleasure  grounds,  and  proprietors  may  have  the  pleasure  of 
doing  their  own  mowing  without  the  wearisome  bending  of  the 
back,  incident  to  the  use  of  the  scythe.  Whoever  spends  the  early 
hours  of  one  summer,  while  the  dew  spangles  the  grass,  in  pushing 
these  grass-cutters  over  a velvety  lawn,  breathing  the  fresh  sweet- 
ness of  the  morning  air  and  the  perfume  of  new  mown  hay,  will 
never  rest  contented  again  in  the  city.  It  is  likely  that  professional 
garden  laborers  will  buy  these  machines  and  contract  cheaply  for 
the  periodical  mowing  of  a neighborhood  of  yards,  so  that  those 
who  cannot  or  do  not  desire  to  do  it  for  themselves  may  have 
it  done  cheaply.  The  roller  is  an  essential  implement  in  keeping 
the  lawn  to  a fine  surface,  and  should  be  thoroughly  used  as  soon 
as  the  frost  is  out  of  the  ground ; for  it  will  then  be  most  effective 
to  level  the  uneven  heaving  and  settling  of  the  earth.  After 
heavy  rains  it  is  also  useful,  not  only  in  preserving  a smooth 
surface,  but  in  breaking  down  and  checking  the  vertical  tendency 
of  grass  that  is  too  succulent. 

The  season  after  seeding  many  persons  are  discouraged  by  the 
luxuriance  of  the  weeds,  and  the  apparent  faint-heartedness  of  the 
grass.  They  must  keep  on  mowing  and  rolling  patiently.  Most 
of  these  forward  weeds  are  of  sorts  that  do  not  survive  having  their 
heads  cut  off  half  a dozen  times ; while  good  lawn  grasses  fairly 
laugh  and  grow  fat  with  decapitation.  Weeds  of  certain  species, 
however,  will  persist  in  thrusting  their  uninvited  heads  through  the 
best  kept  lawns.  These  are  to  be  dealt  with  like  cancers.  A long 
sharp  knife,  and  busy  fingers,  are  the  only  cure  for  them. 


That  keeps  the  very  sun  aloof. 

Making  a twilight  soft  and  green, 

Within  the  column-vaulted  scene.’’ 

Alfred  B.  Street. 

ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS  OF  TREES. 

ALL  modes  of  growing  trees  for  decorative  or  business  pur- 
poses may  be  considered  artificial,  but  what  is  here 
^ meant  by  artificial  adaptations  are  those  less  common 
forms  of  culture,  by  which  shrubs  and  trees  are  brought 
by  skill,  or  persistent  manipulation,  into  unusual  forms  for  special 
purposes.  Hedges,  screens,  verdant  arches,  arbors,  dwarfed  trees, 
and  all  sorts  of  topiary  work,  are  examples  of  such  arts.  It  is 
sometimes  objected  to  these  formally  cut  trees,  that  they  are  un- 
natural, and  therefore  inadmissible  in  good  decorative  gardening. 
But  houses,  fences,  and  walks  are  not  natural  productions,  nor  are 
lawns  or  flower-beds.  All  our  home  environments  are  artificial, 
and  it  is  absurd  to  try  to  make  them  seem  otherwise.  The  objec- 
tion arises  from  a common  misunderstanding  that  all  decorative 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS,  ETC . 


113 


gardening  is  included  in,  and  subject  to  the  rules  of  landscape- 
gardening : an  unfortunate  error.  The  word  landscape  conveys  an 
idea  of  breadth  and  extent  of  view,  so  that  landscape-gardening 
means  gardening  on  a great  scale,  in  imitation  of  natural  scenery. 
All  the  effects  that  can  be  produced  artificially  with  small  trees,  by 
topiary  arts,  may  seem  puerile  as  parts  of  a landscape  ; but  in  the 
dimensions  of  a small  lot,  where  each  feature  of  the  place  needs 
to  be  made  as  full  of  interest  as  possible,  no  such  idea  is  con- 
veyed. On  the  contrary,  whatever  little  arts  will  render  single 
sylvan  objects  more  curious  and  attractive,  or  more  useful  for 
special  purposes,  may  with  propriety  be  availed  of.  It  is  as  absurd 
to  apply  all  the  rules  of  grand  landscape-gardening  to  small 
places,  as  to  imitate  in  ordinary  suburban  dwellings  the  models  of 
palaces.  The  only  limit  to  the  use  of  topiary  work  of  the  char- 
acter we  are  about  to  treat  of  is,  that  whatever  is  done  shall  be 
subsidiary  to  a general  and  harmonious  plan  of  embellishment, 
and  that  the  forms  employed  shall  have  some  useful  significance.  To 
shape  trees  into  the  forms  of  animals,  or  to  resemble  urns  or  vases, 
or  into  ungraceful  forms  suggestive  of  no  use  or  beauty,  are  farci- 
cal freaks  of  gardening  art  to  be  played  very  rarely  and  unobtrusive- 
ly. As  one  of  Walter  Scott’s  famed  Scotch  Judges,  when  caught 
in  the  act  of  playing  king  in  a court  of  buffoons,  is  made  to  say 
that  it  takes  a wise  man  to  know  when  and  where  to  play  the  fool, 
so  in  such  freaks  of  art  as  those  just  named,  great  prudence  is 
necessary.  The  safest  course  is  not  to  worry  or  coax  nature 
into  such  caricatures.  But  hedges,  arches,  arbors,  and  bowers 
of  verdure  are  all  useful,  and  the  tribute  that  nature  renders  to  art 
in  such  forms  is  as  proper  and  sensible  as  the  modes  by  which  her 
grains  and  vegetables  are  improved  on  farms  and  in  gardens. 

Hedges  and  Screens. — These  are  usually  made  of  shrubs  or 
trees  which  naturally  take  a dense  low  growth,  and,  if  for  barriers 
against  animals,  of  those  which  are  thorny.  The  wild,  thorns,  and 
other  trees  clipped  by  browsing  cattle  and  sheep  until  they  seem 
condensed  into  solid  masses  of  leaves  and  thorns,  doubtless  sug- 
gested’the  use  of  hedges,  which  has  become  more  general  in  Eng- 
land than  in  any  other  country  ; and  there  the  climate  and  the 
8 


114 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS  OF 

high  rural  tastes  of  the  people  continue  to  produce  their  greatest 
variety  and  perfection.  With  us  they  are  never  likely  to  be  used 
to  so  great  an  extent  for  fences  owing  to  the  cost  of  maintaining 
them  ; but  as  ornamental  and  useful  screens,  and  for  other  deco- 
rative purposes,  there  need  be  no  limit  to  their  variety.  For  these 
purposes  some  of  the  evergreens  are  best. 

The  arbor-vitaes  are  peculiarly  adapted  for  hedges  and  screens ; 
especially  for  those  of  medium  height,  which  are  not  intended  to 
turn  animals.  The  species  and  varieties  of  arbor-vitae  are  numer- 
ous, but  it  is  doubtful  if  there  is  one  among  them  all  more  valuable 
for  this  purpose  than  the  indigenous  American  species  which  is 
found  wild  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  and  other  eastern  rivers ; 
though  it  is  claimed  for  the  Siberian  arbor-vitae,  and  with  truth,  that 
its  foliage  has  a richer  shade  of  green. 

There  is  a material  difference  in  the  value  of  different 
forms  for  hedges ; and  the  kind  of  tree  used,  the  purpose 
for  which  the  hedge  is  intended,  and  the  exposure  it  is  to 
have,  must  influence  the  choice  of  one  form  rather  than 
another. 

Fig.  22  represents  a hedge-plant  of  the  arbor-vitae  as 
grown,  say  the  third  year  after  planting.  It  must  now 
be  decided  what  form  the  hedge  is  to  have.  Fig.  23  is  a section 
of  the  most  common,  and,  for  the  arbor-vitae  and  hemlock,  in  open 
exposures,  a good  form.  But  it  is  evi- 
dent that  a hedge  of  this  form  gets  Fig-  24- 
less  sun  at  the  bottom  than  near  the 
top,  and  the  natural  result  is  to  pro- 
duce the  weakest  growth  at  the 
bottom,  and  finally  that  the  lowest 
branches  die  out.  The  shaded  parts 
of  hemlocks,  if  contiguous  to  moisture,  do  not  seem  to  suffer  for 
want  of  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  but  a majority  of  hedge- 
plants  need  a full  and  even  light  upon  them.  It  is  not  merely  the 
direct  rays  of  the  sun  which  are  essential,  but  that  constant  light 
from  the  sky  which,  with  or  without  the  sun,  always  rests  upon 
the  top  of  a hedge.  If  the  top  be  broad  as  in  Fig.  24,  it 
receives  nearly  all  the  direct  light  from  above,  and  shades  the 


9 


* 


SHRUBS  AND  TREES. 

• part  below,  and  if  one  side  of  the 
Fig-  2 5-  . hedge  is  towards  the  north,  that  side 

will  be  deficient  in  sunlight  also. 

A form  where  the  top  is  as  broad 
as  the  bottom  is  therefore  bad.  Be- 
sides, a flat  top  with  vertical  sides 
is  a clumsy  form,  and  even  were  it 
not  liable  to  lose  its  foliage  at  the  bottom,  would  not  be  desirable. 
It  is  difficult  to  keep  a full  and  healthy  growth  at  the  base  of  such 
hedges  after  the  first  five  years  of  their  growth,  though  the  hem- 
lock and  arbor-vitaes  are  more  manageable  in  this  respect  than 
many  other  hedge-plants.  The  best  form  for  a hedge  is  the  pyra- 
midal, as  in  Fig.  25.  This  has  the  benefit  of  an  equal  distribution 
of  light  from  all  directions  on  the  two  sides  of  the  hedge.  It  is 
also  the  simplest  form  to  make  and  keep  in  order ; and  is  recom- 
mended for  evergreen  hedges  or  screens  in  ordinary  exposures. 
But  the  thin  sharp  points  at  the  top,  and  at  the  bottom  on  each 
side,  are  much  more  liable  to  injury,  and  thus  mar  the  continuity 
of  the  hedge  lines,  than  the  rounded  form  of  Fig.  23.  This 
objection  may  be  remedied  by  cutting  off  the  top  so  as  to 
leave  a thickness  of  about  six  inches  of  level  surface  there,  and 
the  same  of  vertical  surface  at  the  sides,  as  in  the  section  Fig.  26. 
And  as  a graceful  concave  surface  is  prettier  than  a straight 
one,  the  sides  above  may  be  hollowed  slightly,  as  shown  in 
the  same  cut.  This  form  tends  to  give  strength  and  density  of 
foliage  to  the  bottom  of  the  hedge,  by  exposing  it  more  fully  to 
the  light  from  above.  Fig.  27  shows  the  same  principle  applied 
to  a tall  hedge-screen,  such  as  may  be  made  with  the  Norway 
spruce.  Very  perfect  high  hedges  may  be  made  with  this  tree  in 
the  simple  cone  form  with  less  labor  than  the  form  indicated  by 
Fig.  27  will  require,  but  the  latter  is  the  best  in  principle,  as  well  as 
the  most  beautiful.  The  different  lights  and  shadows  which  fall  on 
contiguous  curved  surfaces,  or  different  planes,  may  be  studied  with 
good  effect  in. forming  hedges.  Fig.  28  is  a very  pretty  and  prac- 
ticable form  which  we  suggest  for  those  who*  are  willing  to  take 
the  trouble  to  perfect  it. 

Where  one  side  of  a hedge  has  a northern  exposure,  or  is  much 


115 


116 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS  OF 


Fig*  27. 


shaded  by  trees,  it  may  be  well  to  vary  the  form  so  that  that  side 
shall  present  a broader  surface  to  the  vertical  light  to  compen- 
sate for  the  lesser  sunlight,  as  shown  by  Figs.  29 
and  30.  The  two  sides  of  a hedge  are  rarely  seen 
at  one  view,  so  that  its  apparent  symmetry  will  not 
be  marred  ; and  this  difference  of  form  may  be  re- 
commended as  a pleasing  variety — giving  the  beauty 
of  two  forms  of  hedge  in  one — as  well  as  for  the 
purpose  of  equalizing  the  vigor  of  the  two  sides. 

Arbor-vitae  and  hemlock  hedges  may  be  made, 
of  any  height,  from  three  to  fifteen  feet.  Those 
which  are  to  be  kept  of  the  minimum  size  will  re- 
quire almost  as  much  time  to  perfect  them  as  the  taller  ones, 
as  they  must  be  cut  back  frequently  from  the  start,  to  force  the 
plants  into  a dwarf  habit,  and  ought  to  be  grown  to  the  required 
breadth  at  the  bottom  before  they  are  of  full  height. 
For  a height  of  three  feet,  let  the  hedge  be  two  feet 
wide  at  the  bottom.  As  the  height  is  increased  the 
base  need  not  increase  proportionally.  A hedge  six 
feet  high  may  have  a base  of  three  and  a half  feet, 
one  ten  feet  high  five  feet,  and  so  on ; remembering 
to  give  the  side  which  is  to  have  the  least  light  the 
greatest  expansion  at  the  bottom. 

We  consider  the  tree  box,  where  hardy,  the  best  of  all  ever- 
green trees  for  low  hedges,  and  though  its  growth  is  slow  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  trees  already  named,  we  would  use  it  in 
preference  to  anything  else  for  hedges  not  designed  to  be  more 


Fig.  28. 


Fig.  29. 


than  three  feet  high.  But  it  may 


Fig.  30. 


not  be  hardy  enough  to  be  reliable 
in  a climate  more  severe  than  that 
of  the  city  of  New  York  ; and  as  it 
does  best  in 'partially  shaded  places, 
it  is  less  beautiful  in  open,  dry,  and 
sunny  exposures.  For  such  places  . 
the  arbor-vitae  is  better. 

For  topiary  screens  of  great  height  the  ‘hemlock  and  Norway 
spruce,  both  of  which  bear  cutting  well,  are  very  beautiful.  More 


care  is  required  in  making  hemlock,  than  arbor-vitae  hedges,  as 
they  are  not  so  tenacious  of  life,  and  require  a soil  of  greater 
moisture. 

There  should  be  a small  reserve  of  trees  kept  in  one’s  own 
garden  for  the  purpose  of  filling  the  gaps  the  next  season  following 
the  planting.  It  is  desirable  to  obtain  plants  not  more  than  one 
foot  high  which  have  been  twice  transplanted  in  the  nursery.  They 
may  be  planted  from  one  to  two  feet  apart,  according  to  the  size  of 
the  hedge  intended.  The  larger  the  hedge  is  to  be,  the  greater  the 
distance  that  may  be  allowed  between  the  trees.  The  hemlock 
loves  a cool,  as  well  as  moist  soil,  and  does  well  in  partial  shade, 
though  if  the  roots  be  in  cool , moist  soil , its  greatest  luxuriance  and 
beauty  is  developed  in  the  most  sunny  exposure ; that  is  to  say,  it 
should  have  its  roots  in  the  shade  and  the  top  in  the  sun.  Its  own 
boughs  trail  naturally  on  the  ground  to  make  such  a protection  for 
the  roots,  and  in  forcing  the  tree  into  a hedge  form  it  should  be 
allowed,  and  even  forced,  to  make  the  greater  part  of  its  growth 
laterally.  For  some  years  after  planting,  the  top  growth  should 
be  continually  cut  back,  and  the  side  branches  allowed  full  license. 
At  the  end  of  three  years  the  hedge  should  be  pyramidal,  and 
not  more  than  three  feet  high,  and  the  same  width  at  the  bottom. 
For  a hedge  from  five  to  eight  feet  high,  a width  of  four  feet  is  suffi- 
cient, and  the  top  should  not  be  allowed  to  increase  faster  than  six 
inches  a year  till  the  required  height  is  attained.  Where  a hedge 
of  greater  altitude  is  desired,  we  would  allow  the  hemlock  to  attain 
the  full  breadth  required  for  the  perfected  hedge  before  permitting 
much  increase  in  height.  If,  for  instance,  a Screen  fifteen  feet  high 
is  wanted,  then  the  trees  that  compose  the  hedge-row  should 
be  allowed  to  grow  until  they  cover  five  feet  in  breadth,  while  the 
top  should  be  kept  ba<pk,  so  that  in  four  years  after  planting  its 
section  will  present  the  form  of  an  equilateral  triangle.  Thereafter 
the  bottom  should  be  kept  nearly  the  same  width,  and  the  top 
allowed  to  increase  in  height  at  the  rate  of  not  more  than  a foot  a 
year  until  the  required  height  is  attained.  The  hemlock  and  arbor- 
vitae  may  be  trimmed  at  any  time  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the 
first  of  October.  June  and  September  are,  however,  the  best 
periods.  The  soil  along  young  hedge-rows  should  be  cleanly  cul- 


118 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS  OF 


tivated  as  for  a row  of  garden  vegetables.  The  arbor-vitaes  grow 
so  naturally  into  a hedge-form,  that  little  skill  is  required  to  shape 
them.  The  hemlock  and  other  evergreens  require  much  more 
attention. 

Where  it  is  necessary  to  have  a high  screen  without  delay,  we 
would  plant  the  Norway  spruce,  and  let  it  grow  pretty  nearly  in  a 
natural  way,  until  it  reaches  the  height  needed.  The  plants  need 
not  be  nearer  than  two  feet  apart,  and  are  apt  to  grow  more  evenly 
when,  small  trees — say  from  one  to  two  feet  high — are  planted. 
Those  which  grow  fastest  must  be  kept  back  to  the  same  rate  of 
growth  as  the  weakest,  or  the  former  will  in  a few  years  over-top 
and  kill  out  the  latter.  Further  than  for  this  purpose,  the  lower 
branches  should  not  be  cut  back  unless  the  top  is  also  cut.  A ver- 
dant wall  of  Norway  spruce  twelve  feet  high  may  be  grown  in  six 
years  from  the  time  of  planting,  and  must  be  allowed  three  or  four 
feet  on  each  side  of  the  stems  for  the  lateral  extension  of  the  lower 
branches.  When  the  required  height  is  attained,  the  tops  can  be 
kept  cut  to  it,  and  both  sides  dipt  back  to  the  form  of  the  section 
of  a cone,  the  base  of  which  is  equal  to  half  its  height.  The  screen 
can  thereafter  be  cut  late  every  June,  so  as  to  leave  but  an  inch  or 
two  of  the  last  growth,  and  again  in  September  if  a second  growth 
has  pushed  strongly. 

It  is  seldom  desirable  to  make  topiary  screens  more  than  ten 
or  twelve  feet  high,  as  the  trouble  and  expense  of  clipping  them 
from  a movable  scaffold  is  considerable.  Where  there  is  need, 
and  room,  for  higher  screens,  the  object  may  be  attained  less 
expensively  and  less  formally  with  groups  and  belts  of  pines  and 
firs.  But  it  happens  sometimes  that  a screen  of  considerable 
height  is  required  where  there  is  not  ground  to  spare  for  the 
growth  of  trees  in  a natural  way ; and  in  such  cases  it  is  practi- 
cable to  form  Norway  spruce  hedges  to  any  height  at  which  they 
can  be  clipped,  and  without  Occupying  for  the  base  of  the  hedge 
more  than  from  six  to  ten  feet  in  width. 

In  general,  hedges  should  be  within  a height  that  a man 
on  the  ground,  with  the  proper  instrument,  can  cut  any  part  of 
them. 

For  evergreen  hedges  of  a defensive  character,  that  is  to  say. 


Sir  Kirns  AND  TREES. 


119 


which  have  the  strength,  or  the  thorns,  to  prevent  animals  from 
going  through  them,  we  know  of  none  that  have  been  proved. 
What  is  called  the  Evergreen  thorn,  Crcetegus  pyracaiithns , is  an 
admirable  thorny  hedge-tree,  but  not  truly  an  evergreen.  It  may, 
perhaps,  rank  as  a sub-evergreen.  The  Menzies  fir,  Abies  men- 
ziesii , seems  to  be  peculiarly  fitted  for  such  a hedge,  its  leaves 
being  sharp  and  stiff  as  needles,  the  growth  compact,  the  foliage 
dense,  and  pointing  in  all  directions.  It  is  now  a high-priced  tree. 
When  it  becomes  cheap  we  hope  to  see  it  tried  for  hedges.  Like 
the  hemlock  and  the  balsam  fir,  it  does  best  in  a warm,  humid  soil, 
and  it  is  possible  that  in  the  exposures  required  for  hedges,  it  may 
not  prove  hardy  enough  to  resist  both  the  sun  and  the  cold.  The 
Cephalonia  fir,  Picea  cephalonica , though  its  leaves  are  less 
cutting  than  those  of  the  Menzies  fir,  are  still  somewhat  formida- 
ble ; and  as  its  growth  is  vigorous,  healthy,  and  compact,  it  may 
prove  valuable  for  large  hedges. 

There  are  some  dwarf  species  of  white  pine  which  will  make 
exquisite  low  hedges  of  a broader  and  rounder  form  than  is  recom- 
mended for  any  of  the  foregoing  trees ; but  they  are  not  yet  fur- 
nished at  such  rates  as  to  make  their  use  practicable  ; and  the 
common  white  pine  may  be  clipped  into  hedge  forms. 

The  American  holly,  Ilex  opaca , has  stiff  glossy  leavers  armed 
with  spines  on  their  scolloped  edges,  and  will  probably  make  the 
most  formidable  of  evergreen  hedges  for  this  country. 

The  yews,  much  employed  in  England  for  hedges,  are  not  hardy 
enough  to  be  used  north  of  Philadelphia. 

Among  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs  the  number  adapted  to 
hedges  is  much  larger  than  most  persons  suppose.  Almost  the 
whole  family  of  thorns,  natives  of  this  country,  as  well  as  of 
Europe,  besides  the  fragrant  hawthorn,  are  easily  made  into  excel- 
lent hedges.  Our  wild  crab-apple  tree  can  be  trimmed  into  a 
compact  form  of  superlative  beauty  and  fragrance  in  the  blooming 
season,  and  sufficiently  offensive  by  its  thorns  to  turn  trespassers. 
The  mere  capability  of  any  tree  or  shrub  to  become  a strong, 
dense,  and  handsome  wall  of  foliage,  if  kept  down  to  a hedge 
form,  is  not  a sufficient  recommendation.  It  is  not  so  much  a 
question  of  what  trees  and  shrubs  can  be  made  into  hedges,  as 


120 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS  OF 


which  of  them  can  be  grown  for  that  purpose,  and  kept  in  hand- 
some and  serviceable  shape  with  the  least  annual  expense  and 
liability  to  accidents  or  diseases.  Hedges  may  be  made  of  the 
honey  locust,  but  the  labor  of  restraining  their  sprouts  and  suckers 
is  about  as  profitable  as  that  of  training  a Bengal  tiger  to  do  the 
work  of  an  ox.  The  beautiful  osage  orange  partakes  somewhat  of 
the  same  wild  character,  but  has  been  subdued  with  great  success, 
and  is  likely  to  prove  the  most  valuable  of  live  fencing  in  the 
Middle  and  Western  States.  But  we  see  no  advantage  for  merely 
decorative  purposes  on  suburban  grounds  in  confining  a deciduous 
tree  of  such  erratic  luxuriance  within  monotonous  hedge-limits, 
while  evergreen  trees  of  greater  beauty,  which  naturally  assume 
formal  contours,  can  be  more  easily  grown  and  kept  in  order  for 
the  same  purpose. 

Hedges,  formidable  by  reason  of  their  thorns,  are  only  ye- 
quired  for  suburban  places,  on  boundary  lines  contiguous  to  alleys 
or  streets,  where  trespassers  are  to  be  guarded  against.  In 
such  localities  there  is  probably  nothing  better  than  the  osage 
orange. 

The  beautiful  English  hawthorns,  with  their  variety  of  many- 
colored  blossoms,  will  develop  their  greatest  beauty  and  bloom  in 
other  than  hedge-forms.  The  buckthorn  so  much  lauded  twenty 
years  ago  for  a hedge-plant,  is  one  of  the  poorest  and  homeliest  of 
all.  The  Fiery  or  Evergreen  thorn,  Crcetegus  pyracaiithns , is  a 
variety  with  very  small  leaves,  almost  evergreen,  which  assumes  a 
hedge-form  naturally,  is  formidable  with  thorns  to  resist  intrusion, 
and  covered  with  red  berries  in  autumn.  It  grows  slowly,  and  will 
make  a charming  low  hedge.  The  Japan  quince  will  also  form  a 
fine  hedge  with  sufficient  patience  and  labor.  Its  growth  is  ex- 
ceedingly straggling,  and  the  wood  so  hard  to  cut  that  it  is  expen- 
sive to  keep  in  shape  ; but  when  grown  to  the  proper  size  and 
form,  its  showy  early  bloom  and  glossy  leaves,  hanging  late,  make 
it  one  of  the  prettiest.  The  common  privet  belongs  to  a differ- 
ent class.  It  is  a natural  hedge-plant ; strikes  root  freely  from 
cuttings,  grows  quickly,  and  its  wood  cuts  easily.  The  leaves 
appear  early  and  hang  late,  and  though  not  of  the  most  pleasing 
color,  they  form  a fine  compact  wall  of  verdure.  It  is,  therefore, 


SHRUBS  AND  TREES . 


121 


natural  that  the  privet  should  long  have  been  a favorite  for  garden 
hedges.  The  wax-leaved  privet,  Ligustrum  lucidum,  and  the  Cali- 
fornia privet,  L.  californica , are  shrubs  of  larger  and  more  glossy 
foliage,  and  probably  hardy  in  most  parts  of  the  country.  The 
lilacs,  bush  honeysuckles,  syringas,  altheas,  weigelias,  and  some 
wild  roses,  may  all  be  grown  as  hedges  with  pleasing  effect  where  de- 
ciduous plants  are  used.  In  short,  good  hedges  are  much  more  the 
result  of  the  patience  and  persistent  care  of  the  gardener  than  of  the 
natural  tendencies  of  certain  shrubs  or  trees. 

Verdant  Arches  and  Bowers.  — In 
Chapter  VI  some  allusion  was  made  to  the 
pretty  effect  of  verdant  gateway  arches. 

There  is  no  limit  to  the  charming  variety  of 
effects  that  can  be  produced  by  training 
and  pruning  trees  and  large  shrubs,  both 
evergreen  and  deciduous,  into  fanciful 
forms  for  gateway  and  garden  arches, 
verdant  pavilions,  and  bowers.  As  ever- 
greens are  most  constantly  beautiful  for 
such  purposes,  we  will  first  call  attention  to 
a few  forms  in  which  they  may  be  used. 

The  hemlock  can  be  treated  as  illustrated 
by  Figs.  31,  32,  and  33,  which  we  here  re- 
peat. The  first  represents  two  hemlocks 
which  have  been  planted  two  feet  away  from, 
and  on  each  side  of  an  ordinary  gateway. 

After  five  or  six  years’  growth  they  may  be 
high  enough  to  begin  work  upon.  A crotch- 
ed  stick  about  two  feet  shorter  than  the  dis- 
tance of  the  trees  apart,  is  stretched  from  one 
to  another,  from  six  to  seven  feet  from  the  ground,  and  fixed  there 
to  keep  the  tops  apart  up  to  that  point.  Above  the  stick,  the  tops 
(supposing  that  they  are  tall  enough  to  admit  of  it)  are  to  be  bent 
towards  each  other  until  they  join,  then  twisted  together,  and  tied 
so  that  they  cannot  untwist.  To  do  this  so  as  to  form  a graceful 
arch,  the  trees  must  be  about  eleven  or  twelve  feet  high.  After 


Fig.  31. 


* 


122 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS  OF 


Fig.  33. 


but  little  care.  Fi< 


they  are  firmly  intertwined  at  the  top,  which  is  usually  in  about  two 
years’  growth,  the  clipping  of  the  sides  and  tops  can  be  going  on 
to  bring  the  arch  to  a form  like  that  of 
Fig.  32,  or  to  apy  similar  design  the 
proprietor  may  desire.  An  arch  like  the 
latter  figure  may  be  brought  to  considera- 
ble perfection  in  the  course  of  ten  years. 
Fig.  33  shows  the  probable  appearance 
that  a hemlock  archway  would  present  in 
twenty  years  after  planting,  supposing 
the  trees  were  allowed  to  develop 
more  naturally  after  their  artificial  char- 
acter was  well  established.  Such  arches 
increase  in  quaint  beauty  as  they  grow 
old,  and  after  the  first  ten  years  will  need 
34,  as  we  have  already  mentioned  in 
Chapter  VI,  is  intended  to  show  another  effect,  which  rnay  be 
produced  with  the  same  side  trees,  by  joining  and  twisting 
together  two  side  branches  to  form  the  arch,  leaving  the  main 

stems  to  form  two  spiry  sides,  and  trim- 
ming to  produce  this  form.  Another  mode 
that,  if  well  executed,  would  produce  a curi- 
ous effect,  is  to  unite  the  main  stems  as  in 
the  first  mode,  but  instead  of  twisting 
them  to  grow  vertically  over  the  middle 
of  the  gate,  the  twist  should  be  made  hori- 
zontally, so  that  the  tops  would  project 
sideways,  as  shown  farther  on  for  elm- 
tree  arches.  This  in  time  would  develop 
into  a wide  crescent,  inverted  over  the 
arch,  or  it  might  be  likened  to  a pair  of 
huge  horns  guarding  the  arch.  The  variety 
of  novel  forms  that  such  trees  can  be  made  to  assume  after  ten 
or  twelve  years’  growth  will  surprise  most  persons.  The  same 
kind  of  arches  on  a smaller  scale  can  be  made  with  the  arbor-vitae, 
but  the  branches  are  not  so  pliable.  It  may  be  used  to  advantage 
for  narrower  and  lower  arches. 


> 


SHRUBS  AND  TREES. 


» 


123 

For  arbors  or  bowers  the  hemlock  is  equally  well  adapted. 
We  would  suggest  as  the  simplest  form  to  begin  with,  that  four 
hemlocks  be  planted  at  the  intersection  of  two  walks,  say  five  or 
six  feet  apart.  By  cutting  back  the  side  branches  to  within  one 
foot  of  the  trunk,  the  growth  at  the  tops  will  be  increased  so  that 
in  five  or  six  years  they  may  be  tall  enough  to  allow  the  opposite 
diagonal  corners  to  be  twisted  together.  If  the  trees  are  all  thrifty, 
the  twist  will  become  fixed  in  two  yea^s.  The  fragrant  and  grace- 
ful foliage  of  the  hemlock  can  thus  be  made  to  embower  retired 
seats,  or  make  quaint  openings  for  diverging  paths.  Such  arbors  or 
arches  can  be  made  much  more  quickly  with  carpentry  and  lovely 
vines,  but  the  permanent  and  more  unusual  structures  made  with 
living  trees  must  nevertheless  be  more  interesting. 

The  hemlock  may  be  used  to  make  artificial  pavilions  of  a 
still  larger  kind  if  trained  through  a period  of  ten  or  fifteen  years. 
Suppose  six  trees  to  be  planted  at  the  corners  of  a hexagon  ten  or 
twelve  feet  in  diameter.  Let  them  feather  naturally  to  the  ground 
on  the  outside  of  the  group,  and  trim  to  within  one  or  two  feet  of 
the  trunks  on  the  inside.  When  twelve  feet  hi  eh,  pass  a rope 
around  the  circle,  on  a level,  two 
or  three  feet  below  their  tops,  so 
%as  to  draw  them  towards  the  cen- 
tre of  the  circle  as  far  as  the  main 
stems  may  be  safely  bent,  which 
will  probably  be  about  three  feet 
inside  of  the  perpendicular.  If 
the  circle  is  twelve  feet  in  diame- 
ter, this  will  still  leave  six  feet  un- 
inclosed at  the  top.  The  rope  is 
to  be  left  around  them  until  the 
trees  have  grown  five  to  six  feet 
higher,  when  another  binding  will 
bring  their  tops  together,  and  if 
they  are  long  enough  they  may  be  twisted  together.  Fig.  35  is  a 
section  of  the  stems  alone,  to  illustrate  the  general  form  intended. 
When  the  six  trees  are  together  at  the  centre  they  should  be  made 
to  grow  like  one,  and  the  branches  that  grow  from  the  upper  sides 


. Fig.  35. 


124 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS  OF 


of  the  curved  stems  must  be  cut  back  to  prevent  them  from  becom- 
ing leaders.  Fig.  36  shows  one  development  of  this  mode  of 
training ; the  sides  and  top  having  been  trimmed  in  mosque- 
dome  form,  the  .curve  of  the  living  frame  of  the  pavilion  being 
well  adapted  to  produce  it.  It  will  require  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
years  to  perfect  such  a pavilion,  but  the  group  will  be  pretty,  and 
interesting  at  every  stage  of  its  growth.  In  this,  as  in  most  other 
things  in  life,  it  is  well  to  remember  Shakespeare’s  lines — 

“What’s  won  is  done joy's  soul  lies  in  the  doing." 

A pretty  variation  of  the  above  plan,  for  larger  verdant  pavil- 
ions, may  be  created  by  simply 
bending  the  tree-tops  towards  the 
centre  in  the  manner  above  de- 
scribed, but  not  close  together, 
leaving  a circular  opening  six  feet 
wide  over  the  centre,  in  the  man- 
ner of  a dome  sky-light. 

The  fir  trees,  though  fine  for 
lofty  screens  or  hedges,  have  more 
rigid  wood,  and  do  not  bear  so 
much  bending;  still  very  beauti- 
ful results  of  a similar  kind  may 
be  produced  with  the  Norway 
spruce,  which  is  the  best  of  the 
firs  for  this  purpose.  It  bears  cut- 
ting quite  as  well  as  the  hemlock. 
The  Cypressus  Lawsoniana  which 
combines  a rapid  growth,  and  the  freedom  of  the  hemlock,  with 
arbor-vitae-like  foliage,  will  be  an  admirable  tree  for  large  works  of 
this  kind,  if  it  continues  to  prove  hardy. 

The  pines  are  mostly  disposed  to  drop  their  lower  limbs  as 
they  increase  in  height,  and  this  peculiarity  may  be  availed  of 
in  producing  other  forms  of  growth.  If,  for  instance,  it  is  desired 
to  make  an  evergreen  umbrage  in  which  to  take  tea  out  of  doors 
in  summer,  it  may  be  provided  by  planting  four  white  pines,  say 
twelve  feet  apart  each  way ; and  when  they  are  from  eight  to  ten 


Fig.  36. 


SHRUBS  AJSB  TREES. 


125 


feet  high,  cutting  their  leaders  out  so  as  to  leave  a tier  of  branches 
as  nearly  as  possible  at  the  same  height  on  the  four  trees.  The 
following  year  see  to  it  that  none  of  these  upper  branches  turn  up 
to  make  leaders,  and  if  necessary  tie  them  down  to  a horizontal 
direction.  By  attending  to  this  for  two  years  the  top  tier  of 
shoots  will  make  a horizontal  growth,  which  will  meet  in  a few 
years  over  head,  and  form  a table-like  top  of  foliage.  But  to 
insure  this  effect,  the  tree  must  be  watched  for  some  years  to 
prevent  any  strong  shoots  from  taking  an  upward  lead,  and 
thus  draw  the  sap  away  from  the  horizontal  branches.  After 
these  have  met  over  head,  and  form  a sufficient  shade,  the  part 
above  may  be  allowed  to  grow  as  it  will.  The  check  and 
change  in  the  growth  of  the  trees  by  such  manipulation,  carried 
on  for  several  years,  insures  a novel  and  picturesque  form  for 
the  group  that  will  be  permanent.  As  the  white  pine  attains  great 
size  at  maturity,  it  is  not  well  to  attempt  such  an  arbor  on  quite 
small  grounds. 

Deciduous  trees  being  more  subject  to  insects  on  their  foliage, 
are  less  desirable  than  evergreens  for  these  uses,  but  they  spread 
at  the  top  more  rapidly,  can  be  more  quickly  grown  to  the  re- 
quired forms,  and  are  covered  at  certain  seasons  with  beautiful 
and  fragrant  blossoms  ; so  that  in  variety  of  attractions  some  of 
them  are  unequalled  by  any  evergreens.  The  latter  wear  through- 
out the  year  the  beauty  of  constant  cheerfulness,  while  the  former, 
with  the  changing  seasons,  are  alternately  barren  of  graces,  or 
bending  with  foliage  and  glowing  with  blossoms. 

For  archways  there  are  no  finer  deciduous  trees  than  the 
English  hawthorns,  and  the  double  flowering  scarlet  thorn,  Crcete- 
gus  coccinnea  flore plena.  They  can  be  planted  at  the  sides  of  foot- 
path gates,  in  the  same  manner  as  recommended  for  the  hemlock, 
and  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  trim  them  on  the  inside,  so  as  to 
keep  the  opening  unincumbered  ; as  the  hawthorns  bloom  best  on 
their  extended  garland-like  branches.  But  they  should  be  trimmed 
enough  to  prevent  any  decidedly  straggling  outline,  to  show  that 
they  are  intended  as  artificial  adaptations  for  a purpose.  Fig.  37 
shows  a suitable  form  for  a hawthorn  arch. 

For  bowers,  or  umbrageous  groups  surrounded  by  open  sunny 


126 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS  OF 


Fig.  37. 


ground,  the  same  form  suggested  for  hemlocks  and  pines  is  adapted 
to  the  hawthorns ; viz.,  planting  in  a square  or  circle  so  that  the 
interior  can  be  used  for  a cool  summer  resort  for  smoking  or  read- 
ing, a place  to  take  tea,  or  a children’s  play- 
house. A dense  canopy  of  leaves  forms  the 
coolest  of  shades  in  the  hot  hours  of  summer 
days.  To  form  such  a canopy  with  hawthorns 
will  require  about  ten  years,  and  may  be 
made  by  planting  six  trees  in  a hexagonal 
form.  All  our  readers  may  not  remember 
that  if  they  make  a circle  of  any  radius, 
that  radius  applied  from  point  to  point  on 
'he  circle  will  mark  the  six  points  of  a hexa- 
gon. The  following  varieties  of  hawthorn  are 


recommended  for  five  of  these  places,  viz. : the  common  white, 
Crcetegus  oxycantha , the  pink  flowered,  C.  o.  rosea , the  dark  red, 
C.  o.  punicea , the  double  red,  C.  o.  punicea  flore  plena , the  double 
white,  C.  o.  multiplex , and  for  the  sixth  the  double  scarlet  thorn, 
C.  coccinnea  flore  plena.  These  will  in  time  make  a bower  of 
exquisite  beauty  in  the  time  of  bloom,  and  of  such  full  and  glossy 
foliage  that  it  will  have  great  beauty  during  all  the  leafy  season. 
After  such  bowers  are  well  thickened  overhead  by  the  annual 
cutting  back  of  the  rankest  upright  growth,  they  are  interesting 
objects  even  in  winter,  by  the  masses  of  snow  borne  on  their  flat 
tops,  and  the  contrast  presented  between  the  deep  shadows  under 
them,  and  the  brightness  of  the  snow  around. 

Some  gardeners  object  to  the  use  of  the  hawthorn  in  this  coun- 
try, on  account  of  its  alleged  liability  to  the  attacks  of  a borer  that 
injures  the  trunk,  and  the  aphis  which  attacks  the  leaves.  We 
shall  not  advise  to  refrain  from  planting  it  on  this  account,  believ- 
ing that  if  planted  in  deep  good  soils,  and  the  ground  beneath 
kept  clean,  it  will  usually  make  so  vigorous  a growth  as  to 
repel  the  attacks  of  these  insects,  which  usually  choose  feeble 
and  stunted  trees  to  work  in.  The  hawthorns  are  all  bushy 
when  young,  and  their  development  into  overarching  trees  will 
be  somewhat  slower  than  that  of  the  following  deciduous  trees. 


The  sassafras  is  eminently  adapted  to  form  a useful  bower  of 


SHRUBS  AND  TREES. 


127 


the  kind  above  described,  as  it  naturally  assumes  a parasol-like 
top,  grows  rapidly,  and  dispenses  with  its  bottom  limbs  quickly. 
Being  disposed  to  form  crooked  stems,  some  care  must  be 
used  in  choosing  straight-bodied  thrifty  nursery  trees,  and  pro- 
tecting the  trunks  until  they  are  large  enough  not  to  need  it. 
Six  thrifty  trees  will  grow  into  a perfect  canopy,  of  the  size  sug- 
gested, within  five  years,  if  their  central  stems  are  cut  back,  and 
kept  to  a height  of  about  eight  feet.  For  the  next  five  years  all 
the  upright  growth  at  their  tops  should  be  annually  cut  back,  so 
that  the  trees  will  not  exceed  twelve  feet  in  height.  Afterwards 
they  may  be  allowed  to  .grow  naturally ; but  their  greatest  beauty 
will  not  be  attained  in  less  than  fifteen  or  twenty  years. 

Fig.  38  shows  the  ap- 
pearance they  should  make 
in  ten  or  twelve  years  after 
planting. 

Next  to  the  sassafras, 
probably  the  judas  or  red- 
bud trees,  Cercis  canadensis 
and  C.  siliqnastruni,  form  most 
naturally  into  this  kind  of  flat- 
roofed  bower.  The  White- 
flowered  dogwood,  Cornns  fiori- 
da , is  also  adapted  to  the  same  use.  Both  spread  lower  than 
the  sassafras,  but  do  not  grow  so  rapidly  when  young.  The 
moose-wood  or  striped-barked  maple,  on  the  other  hand,  attains 
the  height  required  in  a single  season,  and  its  green  and  yellow- 
striped  bark  is  ornamental.  The  branches,  after  the  trunk  has 
attained  the  height  of  ten  or  fifteen  feet,  radiate  naturally  to  form 
a flat-arched  head,  and  grow  much  slower  than  the  first  vigorous 
growth  of  the  stem  would  lead  one  to  suppose.  The  foliage  is  large 
.and  coarse,  but  the  form  of  the  tree  is  suited  to  the  purpose  under 
consideration.  Its  large  racemes  of  winged  seeds,  of  a pinkish 
color,  are  very  showy  in  August.  The  paper  mulberry  is  also  a 
valuable  tree  for  such  uses,  and  attains  the  required  size  and 
density  of  head  in  less  time  than  any  of  the  others.  The  foliage  is 
unusually  abundant  and  of  a dark  green  color. 


128 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS  OF 


Perhaps  the  most  beautiful  of  all  small  trees  for  such  purposes 
is  the  weeping  Japan  sophora.  It  is  grafted  from  seven  to  ten  feet 
high  on  other  stocks,  and  for  many  years  its  growth  is  slow ; but  if 
one  will  have  the  patience  to  wait,  a more  charming  and  curious 
bower  can  be  made  with  a circle  of  sophoras  than  of  any  tree  we 
know  of.  An  engraving  of  this  variety  may  be  found  in  the  de- 
scription of  the  species,  Part  II,  Chapter  III. 

We  have  named  only  a few  of  the  trees  which  may  be  made  use 
of  for  growing  these  artificial  bowers.  For  very  small  grounds 
there  are  many  arboreous  shrubs  which  may  be  used  to  produce 
similar  effects  on  the  inside,  and  appear  as  naturally  grown  groups 
on  the  outside. 

Single  apple  trees  sometimes  form  great  bowers  with  their  own 
branches  alone.  There  is  a beautiful  specimen  of  this  kind  in  the 
grounds  of  W.  S.  Little,  Esq.,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  It  is  an  old 
tree  of  the  twenty  ounce  pippin  variety.  At  the  height  of  seven  or 
eight  feet  its  branches  spread  horizontally,  and  finally  bend  to  the 
ground  on  all- sides,  enclosing  in  deep  shadow  a circular  space  forty 
feet  wide ; an  arched  opening  is  made  on  one  side.  A sketch  of 
this  tree  is  given  in  the  engraving  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. 

Elms  may  be  used  with  good  effect  for  arches  of  a larger 
growth  than  those  already  suggest- 
Fig.  39.  ed.  The  adjoining  sketch,  Fig.  39, 

will  illustrate  one  mode  of  procedure, 
where  there  is  room  for  large  trees. 
Two  common  weeping  elms  are  to 
be  chosen,  each  having  two  diverg- 
ing branches  at  the  height  of  six  to 
eight  feet  from  the  ground,  and  to  be 
so  planted  that  the  extension  of  these 
branches  will  be  parallel  with  the 
fence.  For  a foot-walk  gate-way, 
plant  them  about  two  feet  back  from 
the  fence-line,  and  the  same  distance, 
or  less,  from  the  walk.  After  the  trees  have  grown  so  that  the 
branches  towards  the  gate  are  long  enough  to  be  connected,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  39,  and  upwards  of  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  they 


SHU  UBS  AND  TREES. 


129 


may  be  brought  together  and  twisted  round  and  round  each  other 
vertically,  and  tied  together  so  that  they  cannot  untwist ; or  they^ 
may  be  grafted  together  as  shown  on  the  sketch  at  /.  The  twist 
will,  however,  be  the  strongest  and  simplest  mode.  The  branches^ 
that  proceed  from  the  twisted  ones  below  the  union,  must  be  keptj 
cut  back  to  within  two  or  three  feet,  so  as  to  encourage  the  strong-r 
est  growth  in  the  part  above  the  twist.  The  next  spring,  if  these1 
united  branches  have  done  well,  the  outer  branches  of  both  trees 
may  be  cut  off  at  a,  a,  and  grafted  with  scions  of  the  Scamston 
elm.  If  the  grafts  take,  and  the  growth  and  trimming  of  all 
parts  are  properly  attended  to,  the  lower  growth  forming  the  gate- 
way arch  should  be  all  Scamston  elm,  crowned  -over  the  centre 
with  the  loftier  common  elm,  presenting  an  appearance  in  the 
course  of  ten  years  something  like  the  accompanying  engraving. 


Fig.  40. 


The  Scamston  elm  grows  with  great  vigor  in  a horizontal  and 
downward  direction  only,  and  its  long  annual  shoots,  and  dark 
glossy  leaves  overlap  each  other  so  closely  that  an  arch  cut  in  one 
side  has  the  appearance  of  being  cut  through  a mound  of  solid 
verdure.  Their  tops  are  flatly  rounded,  like  unfinished  hay-stacks, 
9 


ARTIFICIAL  ADAPTATIONS,  ETC. 


130 


emerging  from  the  centre  (as  shown  in  the 
g its  long  arms  over  the  former  with  a freer 
q present  a combination  of  grotesque  grace 
less  formal  in  expression  than  our  illus- 
tration. 

A broad  flat-topped  arch  of  a similar 
character  may  be  made  by  grafting  all 
four  of  the  branches  with  the  Scamston 
elm  at  a , a , Fig.  39,  and  the  points  oppo- 
site. This  may  be  perfected  more  quickly. 

For  an  archway  over  a carriage  en- 
trance two  common  elms  may  be 
planted  by  the  sides  of  the  gateway,  and  when  their  side 
branches  are  long  enough,  may  be  twisted  round  and  round 
each  other,  and  tied  together,  and  the  other  parts  of  the  tree 
trimmed  to  develop  the  best  growth  of  the  branches  depended 
on  to  form  the  arch.  Fig.  41  illustrates  the  appearance  of  the 
trees  without  their  leaves  a year  or  two  after  the  twist  has  been 
made. 


and  tne  common  eim 
engraving),  and  bending 
growth,  might,  we  thin! 


Fig.  41. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES  AND  GROUNDS. 

BEFORE  proceeding  to  examine  the  plans,  the  reader  is 
requested  to  observe  the  symbols  used,  as  shown  on  the 
preceding  page. 

We  desire  also  to  offer  a few  preliminary  explana- 
tions. First,  every  intelligent  reader  knows  that  no  two  building 
lots  are  often  exactly  alike  in  any  respect.  Not  only  in  size  and 
form,  but  in  elevation,  in  shape  of  surface,  in  the  exposure  of  the 
front  to  the  north,  east,  south,  or  west,  or  intermediate  points ; in 
the  presence  and  location  of  growing  trees,  large  or  small ; in  the 
nature  of  the  improvements  to  the  right  or  left,  in  front  or  rear ; 
in  the  aspect  of  the  surrounding  country  or  city ; in  the  connec- 
. tions  with  adjacent  streets  or  roads  ; in  the  prospective  changes 
that  time  is  likely  to  bring  which  will  affect  their  improvement  for 
good  or  ill  ; — all  these  things  are  external  conditions  as  similar  in 
the  main  as  the  colors  of  the  kaleidoscope,  and  as  invariably  differ- 
ent from  each  other  in  their  combmatiojis . Not  only  these  external 
conditions,  but  an  equally  numerous  throng  of  circumstantial  con- 
ditions connected  with  the  tastes,  the  means,  the  number,  and  the 
business  of  the  occupants,  tend  to  render  the  diversities  of  our 


L32 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


homes  and  home-grounds  still  more  innumerable.  It  is,  therefore, 
improbable  that  any  one  of  the  plans  here  presented  for  the 
reader’s  study  will  precisely  suit  any  one’s  wants ; but  that  their 
careful  examination  and  comparison  will  be  of  service  in  planning 
houses  and  laying  out  lots  of  a somewhat  similar  character,  we 
earnestly  hope.  We  furnish  them  as  a good  musical  professor 
does  his  instrumental  studies,  not  to  be  used  as  show-pieces,  but  to 
be  studied  as  steps  and  points-d' appuis  for  one’s  own  culture. 

In  naming  the  selection  of  trees  and  shrubs  for  many  of  the 
smaller  places,  we  have  endeavored  to  be  as  careful  in  their  selec- 
tion as  if  each  place  were  an  actual  one,  and  our  own ; — leaning, 
however,  in  most  cases,  to  that  style  of  planting  which  will  have 
the  best  permanent  effect,  rather  than  to  an  immediate  but  ephem- 
eral display ; and  fully  conscious  that  a skillful  gardener  may 
name  many  other  and  quite  different  selections  for  the  same 
places,  that  will  be  equally  adapted  to  them ; and  that  in  carrying 
out  such  plans  on  the  ground,  the  insufficiency  of  designs  on  so 
small  a scale  to  present  all  the  finishing  small  features  that  make 
up  the  beauty  of  a complete  place,  will  be  very  evident.  The 
choice  of  trees  and  shrubs  for  locations  otherwise  similar,  must 
be  influenced  by  a consideration  of  the  climate.  Many  which  do 
well  near  the  sea-coast  are  not  hardy  on  more  elevated  ground  in 
the  same  latitude  ; while  others  are  healthy  in  the  high  lands  that 
prove  sickly  in  more  southern  and  alluvial  valleys.  A selection  for 
a lot  near  New  York  should  not  be  altogether  the  same  as  for 
Saratoga  or  St.  Pauls,  Richmond  or  Louisville  ; and  for  the  Gulf 
States  (except  in  the  most  elevated  regions)  it  would  be  totally 
unsuited.  Southward  from  the  latitude  of  New  York,  each  degree 
(except  so  far  as  the  influence  of  latitude  is  counteracted  by  that  of 
altitude)  will  enable  the  planter  to  grow  some  tree  or  shrub  not 
safe  to  plant,  under  ordinary  conditions,  any  further  north.  As  the 
latitude  and  climate  of  New  York  city  represent  the  average  re- 
quirements of  a greater  population  than  any  other,  in  this  country, 
our  selection  for  the  places  described  in  this  chapter  are  generally 
suited  to  such  a climate;  and  in  planting,  the  reader  must  be 
directed  by  his  own  study  as  to  what  substitutions  are  necessary 
in  latitudes  north  or  south  of  it. 


A NJ)  G It  0 UND  S. 


133 


We  have  remarked  in  a preceding  chapter  on  the  impractica- 
bility of  furnishing  plans  for  grounds  of  uneven  surfaces,  or  for 
those  which  have  trees  growing  on  them,  without  an  accurate 
survey  of  all  these  features.  The  plans  which  follow,  therefore, 
pre-suppose  bare  sites,  and  rather  level  ones  ; but  the  study  of 
arrangement  on  these  will  be  found  to  embrace  most  of  the  ques- 
tions that  interest  those  who  are  forming  or  expecting  to  form 
suburban  homes. 

Plate  I. — B. 

Plan  for  a Compact  House  and  Stable  on  a Comer  Lot  128  x 220  feet. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  this  plate  in  Chapter  IX  for 
the  purpose  of  illustrating  a mode  of  planning  the  grounds  on 
paper,  and  working  from  the  paper  plan.  The  lot  has  an 
area  of  less  than  two-thirds  of  an  acre.  The  main  house  is 
thirty-six  feet  square,  with  a kitchen-wing  twenty-two  feet  wide, 
carried  back  under  a continuous  roof  to  form  the  carriage-house, 
wash-shed,  and  stable, — in  all  sixty-four  feet  in  length.  We  be- 
lieve that  it  is  rarely  that  so  many  of  the  requirements  of  a 
pleasant  house  are  brought  within  so  small  an  area.  Doubtless 
most  lady-housekeepers  will  rebel  against  the  thought  of  having 
the  carriage-house  and  stable  in  such  close  proximity  to  the 
dwelling.  It  is  the  only  plan  in  this  work  thus  arranged  ; but  in 
our  north-border  States  we  believe  it  to  be  a wise  arrangement ; 
not  only  vastly  more  economical  in  construction,  and  convenient 
for  the  family  and  their  servants,  but  also,  in  the  hands  of  a good 
architect,  capable  of  adding  greatly  to  the  attractiveness  of  the 
house  by  giving  it  an  air  of  extent  and  domesticity  that  so  many  of 
the  box-like  suburban  houses  of  the  day  are  totally  wanting  in.  We 
do  not  believe  there  is  any  more  need  of  being  annoyed  by  flies  or 
smells  from  a stable  than  from  a kitchen  ; and  if  the  latter  can  be 
kept  so  that  it  is  a pleasant  room  to  have  within  ten  feet  of  living- 
rooms,  where  doors  open  directly  from  one  to  another,  we  know  no 
reason  why  the  stable  may  not  be  within  fifty  feet,  where  there  are 
no  direct  connections,  and  four  or  five  intervening  partitions.  One 


134 


PLANS  OP  RESIDENCES 


only  needs  to  see  how  pleasantly  it  looks  and  works  in  the  keeping 
of  a neat  family,  to  be  surprised  that  this  system  has  not  long  ago 
been  adopted  at  the  north.  It  is  not  only  a great  economy  in  the 
first  cost  of  the  house  and  stable,  but  an  equal  economy  of  lot- 
room.  Here  is  a lot  of  but  little  more  than  half  an  acre,  with  the 
apparent  ground-room  for  a mansion ; with  a lawn  two  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  in  length,  a large  variety  of  trees  and  shrubbery, 
an  abundance  of  summer  fruits,  and  a sufficient  kitchen-garden  for 
the  use  of  one  family ; and  yet  nothing  is  crowded.  This  economy 
of  space  is  in  part  attributable  to  the  compact  unity  of  the  dwelling 
and  domestic  offices. 

Let  us  now  examine  the  ground-plan.  The  street  in  front  is 
supposed  to  be  two  feet  and  a half  below  the  ground-level  on  that 
front,  and  to  have  a wall  with  a stone  coping  level  with  the 
grass ; — the  side-street  rising  so  that  where  the  carriage-road 
enters  it,  the  two  are  on  the  same  level.  The  coping  of  the 
front  wall  is  carried  around  and  continued  up  the  sides  of  the 
main  entrance-walk  in  a style  similar  to,  but  not  quite  so 
costly,  as  that  illustrated  in  the  vignette  of  Chapter  IV.  This 
walk  is  six  feet  wide.  Street  trees,  if  any  are  planted  in 
front,  should  be  placed  so  that  the  middle  of  the  space  between 
them  is  on  the  line  of  the  middle  of  the  walk  continued,  and 
should  be  the  same  distance  apart  as  the  trees  of  the  short  avenue 
on  each  side  of  the  walk ; that  is,  twenty  feet.  Supposing  the 
street  trees  are  elms,  we  would  plant  at  a , a , weeping  Scotch  elms, 
Ulmas  montana  pcndula ; at  b , b,  weeping  beeches ; at  r,  c , cut- 
leaved weeping  birches.  The  evergreen  screens  on  the  right  and 
left  are  to  be  composed  principally  of  hemlocks.  That  on  the 
right  is  intended  to  make  an  impervious  screen  so  that  the  yard 
behind  it  on  that  side  cannot  be  seen  from  the  street.  The 
flower-beds  on  the  parlor  side  of  the  lot  are  designed  to  be  the 
especial  charge  of  the  lady-florist  of  the  house,  and  these  ever- 
green screens  will  give  a partial  privacy  to  that  section  of  the  lot. 
The  screens  also  act  as  boundaries  of  the  avenue,  making  the 
entrance-walk  a distinct  and  isolated  feature — a shadowy  arbor  of 
the  overarching  foliage  of  deciduous  trees,  with  a back-ground  on 
each  side  of  evergreen  verdure.  The  depth  of  shadow  in  passing 


A ND  G R 0 UND  S. 


135 


through  such  an  approach  will  serve  to  bring  into  bright  relief  the 
unshadowed  front  of  the  house,  and  the  open  expanse  of  sunny 
lawn  around  it.  The  evergreen  trees  that  are  within  fifteen  feet  of 
the  deciduous  trees  which  form  the  avenue  should  not  be  allowed 
to  make  their  full  natural  growth  upwards,  but  be  topped  irregu- 
larly so  that  the  latter  may  not  be  obstructed  in  their  natural 
expansion.  The  avenue  trees  are  to  be  considered  the  rightful 
owners  of  all  the  space  they  can  grow  to  fill,  and  the  evergreens 
only  tenants  at  will  so  far  as  they  occupy  places  which  the 
branches  of  the  deciduous  trees  will  eventually  overgrow.  But 
for  many  years  both  may  grow  unharmful  to  the  other. 

In  the  back  part  of  the  lot  let  us  take  an  inventory  of  the  utili- 
tarian features  of  the  plan,  and  then  of  their  connection  with  the 
decorative  effect.  The  grape-walk,  it  will  be  seen,  is  on  a right  line 
with  the  length  of  the  side  veranda.  A double  arch  marks  the 
entrance  to  this  and  the  dwarf  pear  walk.  Arch  openings  in  the 
grape-trellis  give  access  to  the  walks  of  the  kitchen-garden  for  the 
family,  while  for  work  and  for  servants’  use,  another  walk  leads 
from  the  wash-room  and  the  back  veranda.  The  vegetable  garden 
is  thus  entirely  out  of  sight  from  the  house,  and  from  every  part 
of  the  grounds,  and  yet  has  , a sufficiently  open  exposure,  and  the 
most  convenient  proximity  to  the  kitchen.  The  long  grape-walk 
trellis  will  have  a good  exposure,  to  whatever  point  of  the  compass 
its  length  tends.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  dwarf  pear  border. 
There  are  six  standard  pear  trees,  four  cherry,  two  peach,  and 
one  apple  tree  marked  on  the  plan.  Other  peach  trees  may  be 
planted  in  between  the  cherries  and  pears  if  the  owner  will  be 
sure  to  cut  them  out  as  soon  as  the  cherry  and  pear  trees  need  all 
the  room.  Few  persons  are  aware  how  much  healthier  and  more 
productive  fruit  trees  are  which  are  allowed  to  grow  low,  and  with 
unlimited  expansion  from  the  beginning.  Therefore  we  warn 
against  planting  permanent  trees  too  thickly,  and  against  leaving 
short-lived  trees,  like  the  peach,  too  long,  in  the  way  of  the  per- 
manencies. There  are,  however,  some  dry  clay  soils  where  the 
peach  tree  does  not  quickly  become  decrepit — as  it  is  pretty  sure 
to  do  in  a light  sand  or  rich  loam — and  there  it  may  be  well  to 
allow  it  the  necessary  room  for  mature  growth,  independent  of  the 


136 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


growth  of  other  trees.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  borders  of  the  lot 
offer  ample  room  for  the  growth  of  small  fruits  for  one  family. 
Strawberries  may  be  grown  in  cultivated  strips  under  the  standard 
pear  trees. 

From  the  dining-room  window  which  opens  upon  the  veranda, 
pleasing  vistas  down  the  grape-walks  and  the  pear-walks  will  be 
seen  through  the  vine-covered  parts  of  the  veranda,  and  the  archies 
that  mark  the  entrances  to  those  walks.  The  height  of  the 
veranda  floor  will  conceal  one-third  of  the  gravel  space  in  front 
of  the  carriage-house  from  the  eye  of  a person  sitting  in  the 
dining-room,  so  that  the  vines  that  should  wreath  the  end-open- 
ing of  the  veranda  and  the  arches  beyond,  and  their  interior 
perspective,  will  be  the  principal  objects  in  view.  Between  the 
row  of  dwarf  pears  and  the  side-street  the  arrangement  of  fruit 
trees  is  such  that,  seen  from  the  front,  the  open  lawn  space 
surrounded  by  them  will  have  quite  as  elegant  an  air  as  any 
other  portion  of  the  ground.  The  large  fir  tree  at  the  end  of  the 
row  of  pear  trees,  and  the  arbor-vitae  hedge  between  it  and  the 
arch,  are  intended  to  shut  from  view  the  tilled  ground  under  the 
pear  trees,  and,  together  with  the  large  pine  tree  nearer  the  house 
and  its  subjacent  evergreen  shrubs,  to  give  a cheerful  winter  tone 
to  this  most  used  portion  of  the  “back-yard.” 

On  the  front  portion  of  the  lot,  the  trees  indicated  by  letters 
on  the  plan  are  intended  to  be  the  following — the  list  being  made 
for  a climate  like  that  near  the  city  of  New  York. 

At  d,  the  dwarf  white-pine,  P.  strobus  compacta ; at  e,  <?,  a pair 
of  J apan  weeping  sophoras  ; at  f Parson’s  American  arbor-vitae, 
Thuja  occidentalis  mnpacta  ; at  g,  g,  the  American  and  European 
Judas  trees;  at  h,  the  Kolreuteria  paniculata ; at  i,  the  golden 
arbor-vitae ; at  j9  the  Indian  catalpa ; at  h,  the  erect  yew,  Taxus 
erecta ; at  /,  the  golden  yew,  Taxus  aurea ; at  m and  /z,  Weigelas 
ajnabilis  and  rosea;  at  o,  the  new  weeping  juniper,  J.  oblonga 
pendula ; p and  g,  the  weeping  silver-fir  and  the  weeping  Norway 
spruce  ; r , r,  y , and  z,  z,  an  irregular  belt  of  Siberian  and  other 
arbor-vitaes  ; s , s}  weeping  arbor-vitaes,  Thuja  pendula ; at  /,  Sar- 
gent’s hemlock  ; at  zz,  a cherry  tree  (this  in  lieu  of  the  cherry  tree 
near  the  carriage-road  gate,  where,  if  the  soil  is  congenial,  we 


A ND  G R 0 UND  S. 


137 


would  plant  a pair  of  white-pines,  one  on  each  side  of  the  gate- 
way,  and  not  far  from  the  posts).  Under  and  between  the  trees  h, 
and  g , g,  we  would  have  a mass  of  rhododendrons  ; or,  if  cheaper 
and  more  rapid  growing  materials  for  a group  are  preferred,  the 
space  may  be  filled  with  the  variegated-leaved  and  wax-leaved 
privets  and  low-spreading  spireas  ; at  v , w,  and  x,  in  the  next 
group,  may  be  planted  a choice  of  deutzias,  honeysuckles,  syringas, 
lilacs,  and  snow-balls — one  of  each.  Around  the  firs  at p and 
while  they  are  small,  a group  of  rhododendrons  may  be  planted. 
The  single  small  shrubs  (or  trees)  opposite  the  front  corner  of  the 
house,  may  be  single  well-grown  bushes  of  Deutzia  gracilis ; or 
the  double  flowering-plum,  Primus  sinensis ; or  the  purple-leaved 
berberry ; or,  if  dwarf  evergreens  are  preferred,  the  Irish  and 
Swedish  junipers,  the  Japan  podocarpus,  the  tree-box  (for  clip- 
ping), the  golden  arbor-vitae,  the  golden  yew,  or  the  erect  yew? 
Taxus  erectag may  all  be  rivals  for  these  places.  With  constant 
care  to  keep  them  to  their  most  slender  form,  those  beautiful 
novelties,  the  weeping  Norway  spruce  and  silver  firs,  Abies  excelsa 
inverta  and  Picea  pectinata  pendula , might  grace  this  place  better 
than  anything  else,  though  they  may  in  time  grow  to  great  height. 

In  the  four  inner  angles  of  the  two  bay-windows,  unless  the  ex- 
posure is  to  the  south  or  southwest,  we  would  plant  rhododendrons 
of  medium  size,  and  fill  the  corner-beds  with  the  same,  graded 
down  to  the  smallest  varieties  at  the  points.  In  the  middle, 
between  the  bay-windows,  two  feet  from  the  house,  plant  the 
Cephalotaxus  fortunii  mascula , and  beyond  it,  to  complete  the 
group,  three  flowering  deciduous  shrubs  graded  in  height  as  fol- 
lows : Six  feet  from  the  house  the  double-flowered  pink  deutzia ; 
two  feet  further  out  the  Deutzia  gracilis ; and  two  feet  from  that, 
on  the  point,  the  Daphne  creorum . While  these  shrubs  are  small, 
use  the  ground  between  them  for  annuals  and  bulbous  flowers. 

The  group  under  the  pine  tree,  and  between  it  and  the  rear 
veranda  steps,  ihay  be  composed  of  two  varieties  of  the  tree-box 
near  the  steps — the  common  and  the  gold-edged  leaved — Sargent’s 
hemlock  near  the  corner  of  the  road,  and  the  variegated-leaved 
privet,  the  purple  berberry,  the  variegated-leaved  elder,  and  some 
kalmias  to  complete  the  bed.  It  is  essential  that  there  should  be 


138 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


a sufficient  mass  of  evergreen  verdure  around  the  pine  to  shut  the 
carriage-yard  out  of  view  from  the  front. 

The  border  near  the  right-hand  fence,  in  front,  is  a hemlock,  or 
an  arbor-vitae  screen ; with  single  specimens  standing  in  front  of  it, 
of  any  of  the  choice  varieties  of  common  deciduous  flowering 
shrubs.  The  plan  fails  to  show  the  continuity  of  the  evergreen 
screen  along  that  side  of  the  lot,  and  consequently  some  of  the 
deciduous  shrubs  are  too  near  the  fence.  The  hedge  back  of  the 
large  flower-bed  should  also  occupy  double  the  width  shown  on 
the  plan.  The  isolated,  very  small  shrub-marks,  represent  slender 
junipers,  or  single  brilliant-leaved  plants. 

The  few  flower-beds  that  are  shown  on  the  lawn-side  of  the 
house  can  probably  be  filled  by  most  ladies  quite  as  tastefully  as 
we  could  suggest.  The  continuous  bed  opposite  the  large  window 
of  the  parlor  will  demand  much  skill  in  arrangement,  if  filled  with 
annuals  and  perennials.  But  as  these  are  likely  to  be  changed 
every  year,  and  as  skill  in  such  matters  is  the  result  of  experience 
alone,  it  is  needless  to  specify  any  one  list  of  varieties,  or  order  of 
arrangement  for  them.  In  case  the  occupants  of  the  place  prefer 
not  to  take  care  of  a great  bed  of  annuals,  the  entire  bed  may  be 
devoted  to  the  culture  of  roses  ; and  if  these  also  involve  too 
great  an  annual  outlay  of  time  and  money,  the  ground  may  be 
left  in  lawn  alone,  and  the  border  broken  by  a few  fine  shrubs 
upon  it. 

The  location  of  the  parlor  on  this  plan,  with  its  principal 
window  looking  out  on  the  shortest  and  most  unsatisfactory  view 
of  the  place,  may  be  open  to  criticism.  But  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that,  on  small  lots,  all  the  sides  of  a dwelling  cannot  have 
park-like  exposures  ; and  the  room  that  is  least  used,  and  least 
looked  out  of,  is  the  one  that  should  have  the  least  interesting 
exposure.  Parlors  are  principally  used  by  day  as  reception  rooms 
for  casual  callers,  and  in  the  evenings  for  sociable  gatherings.  In 
neither  case  are  the  guests,  or  the  family,  in  the* habit  of  paying 
much  attention  to  out-of-door  views.  The  furniture  of  a parlor  is 
likely  to  be,  scrutinized  more  than  that  of  other  rooms,  but  the  out- 
looks from  it  are  of  less  importance  than  from  those  rooms  which 
the  family  and  their  intimate  friends  frequent. 


Plate  II 


A ED  GEO  UND  S. 


139 


Plate  II. 

A Corner  Lot  having  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  front  on  one  street \ 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  on  another. 

The  figures  at  the  bottom,  and  the  letters  on  the  side  of  the 
plate,  represent  spaces  of  ten  feet  each.  The  house  is  commodious, 
and  its  form  the  most  simple  and  compact.  The  fronts  (veranda 
lines)  are  sixty  feet  from  the  two  streets  respectively.  A car- 
riage-house of  suitable  size  occupies  the  rear  corner  of  the  lot, 
with  a stable-yard  behind  it,  and  a passage-way  for  a cart  around 
it.  A straight  walk  to  the  front  door,  and  a straight  road  to  the 
carriage-house,  are  the  most  appropriate  ways  to  each  ; while 
the  side-entrance  walk,  being  prolonged  to  form  the  walks  to  the 
kitchen,  the  garden,  and  the  stable,  is  laid  down  in  a curved  form 
to  make  it  most  convenient  for  these  purposes.  A covered  trellis 
or  arbor  forms  a continuation  of  the  back  veranda,  and  a dry  pas- 
sage from  the  back  hall  to  the  out-buildings.  This  is  designed  for 
grape  vines.  The  kitchen-garden  occupies  a space  about  45  x 90 
feet,  including  the  walks.  The  side  fence  or  wall  of  the  garden,  if 
the  exposure  is  to  the  east,  south,  or  southwest,  may  be  covered 
with  grapes ; if  to  the  north,  with  currants  or  raspberries.  The 
main  square  of  the  kitchen-garden  is  drawn  as  if  covered  with 
small  fruits.  It  may  be  so  used,  or  filled  with  vegetables  alone. 
A row  of  fine  cherry  trees  are  set  forty  feet  from  the  side  fence, 
starting  ten  feet  from  the  carriage  road,  and  twenty  feet  apart,  and 
a sixth  at  the  same  distance  from  the  first,  on  the  line  towards  t. 
The  plan  indicates  the  locations  for  five  pear  trees,  two  peach  trees, 
quinces,  raspberries,  etc.  A greater  number  may  be  planted  in 
these  spaces,  but  not  without  eventual  injury  to  the  appearance  of 
the  grounds.  Peach  trees  are  short-lived,  and  usually  scrawny 
and  ill-favored  after  the  first  five  years  of  their  growth.  We  would 
place  them  reluctantly  in  any  part  of  grounds  that  may  be  seen  in 
connection  with  other  parts  which  are  occupied  by  lawn-trees  and 
flowers  under  high  keeping.  But  a place  for  a few  trees  having 
been  indicated,  it  may  be  as  well  to  put  out  four  or  five  there  as 


140 


PLAlfs  OF  RESIDENCES 


two.  They  will  soon  crowd  each  other  too  closely,  but  they  pay 
for  themselves  quickly,  and  die  early.  There  is  no  question  of  the 
great  superiority  of  peaches  grown  to  ripeness  on  one’s  own  trees, 
over  the  half-ripe  beauties  of  the  markets ; and  if  the  proprietor,  to 
have  their  fruit,  is  willing  to  guard  their  health,  he  must  also  be 
willing  to  bear  with  their  mature  ugliness. 

We  will  now  describe  the  plan  with  reference  to  those  things 
which  are  planted  for  their  decorative  effect  alone ; premising? 
however,  that  walks,  arbors,  and  fruit  trees,  are  quite  as  much  a 
part  of  the  embellishments  of  the  ground  as  evergreens  or  flower- 
ing shrubs  : and  are  all  placed  with  reference  to  their  effect  in 
connection  with  the  latter. 

The  plan  supposes  a slight  downward  slope  of  the  ground  from 
the  house  to  the  outside  street  boundaries ; the  floor  of  the  house 
being  about  four  feet  above  the  lawn  adjoining  it,  and  the  latter 
unbroken  by  terraces  or  architectural  forms  of  any  kind.  It  is 
intended  as  a plain  example  of  conformity  to  good  taste  in  arrange- 
ment, rather  than  of  any  great  art  in  gardening ; and  combines  as 
much  length  of  open  lawn,  with  as  great  a variety  of  trees,  shrubs, 
and  flowers  as  the  size  will  admit  of,  without  making  it  an  expen- 
sive place  to  keep. 

The  front  walk  is  six  feet  wide.  The  gate  posts  are  set  back  five 
feet  from  the  street  line.  On  a line  with  the  posts,  and  from  two 
to  five  feet  from  them,  a pair  of  trees  are  to  be  planted  to  form  an 
arch  over  the  gate.  If  large  trees  like  elms  or  pines  are  used,  let 
them  be  planted  at  the  greater  distance  ; if  small  trees  like  the 
sassafras,  the  nettle  tree,  or  the  red-bud  or  Judas  tree  ( cercis ) are 
employed,  two  feet  from  the  posts  will  be  enough.  If  a more  arti- 
ficial form  of  verdant  arch  is  desired,  the  proprietor  can  choose 
some  of  the  trees  and  forms  recommended  in  Chapter  XIV.  The 
American  weeping  elm  or  the  Scotch  elm,  arch  a gateway  quickly  and 
nobly,  but  will  eventually  be  so  large  as  to  shade  the  whole  of  that 
part  of  the  yard.  A pair  of  sassafras  trees,  planted  within  two  or 
three  feet  of  the  walk,  would  make  one  of  the  richest  natural  can- 
opies over  the  gate,  but  perhaps  too  much  like  a parasol,  and  not 
enclosing  the  way  sufficiently  on  the  sides ; but  by  planting  beneath 
them,  in  the  inner  curve  of  the  fence,  the  tree-box,  which  does  well 


A ND  GR  0 UND  S. 


141 


in  partial  shade,  and  surrounding  the  trunks  on  the  other  sides  with 
some  low-growing  shrubs  that  also  do  not  suffer  by  shade,  the  arch 
may  be  made  complete  with  a variety  of  surroundings.  Just  beyond, 
say  fifteen  feet  from  the  gate,  are  two  Irish  junipers.  The  lawn 
between  these  and  the  steps  is  unbroken  save  by  six  beds  for  very 
low  flowers,  as  shown  on  and  near  the  dotted  line  ending  at  d , and 
between  it  and  the  veranda.  The  line  d is  intended  to  designate  a 
strip  upon  and  near  which  nothing  should  be  planted ; so  that  a 
continuous  open  lawn-view  may  be  had  across  this  place  to  the 
places  on  the  left  of  it,  and  from  them  back  to  the  street  on  the 
right  at  d.  The  group  above  Figs,  n and  12  may  be  composed  of 
dwarf  evergreens  as  follows : on  the  right,  the  dwarf  white  pine, 
P.  strobus  compacta  ; on  the  left,  six  feet  from  it,  the  golden  arbor- 
vitas  ; in  the  middle  above  them,  four  feet  from  each,  the  yew, 
Taxus  erecta , the  foliage  of  which  is  very  dark  ; and  above,  close 
to  it,  the  golden  yew,  with  leaves  and  twigs,  as  its  name  im- 
ports, prettily  tinged  with  a golden  hue ; next  above,  as  shown  by 
the  speck  on  the  plan,  a plant  of  the  dwarf  fir,  Abies  gregoricma  or 
the  Andromeda  floribnnda,  either  of  which  is  exceedingly  dwarf. 
These  would  in  time  make  a charming  small  evergreen  group, 
but  the  dwarf  trees  which  compose  it  grow  slowly,  so  that  it  is 
necessary  to  keep  the  ground  cultivated  between  the  trees,  and  filled 
with  bulbs,  annuals,  or  perennials,  until  the  evergreens  are  large 
enough  to  meet.  Fig.  42  is  a sketch  made  in  the  home-grounds 
of  Mr.  S.  B.  Parsons,  at  Flushing,  L.  I.,  showing  an  actual  group 
somewhat  similar  to  the  one  just  suggested, 
composed  of  but  four  trees  or  shrubs,  and 
three  species.  The  low  one  in  front  is  the 
Andromeda  floribunda , the  next  the  golden 
arbor-vitae,  and  the  two  behind  it  the  Irish 
yew,  Taxus  baccata.  An  engraving  can  scarce- 
ly suggest  the  beautiful  contrasts  of  colors 
and  surfaces  that  these  present.  On  either 
side  of  the  veranda,  and  about  twelve  feet 
in  a diagonal  line  from  its  corners,  two  large 
trees  are  indicated.  The  choice  of  these  may  safely  be  left  to  the 
reader.  They  should  be  of  hardy,  healthy,  thrifty  sorts.  Horse- 


Fig.  42. 


H2 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


chestnuts,  maples,  and  elms  are  usually  the  most  beautiful  rivals 
for  such  places.  Of  horse-chestnuts  we  would  recommend  the 
common  white  for  one  side,  and  for  the  other  side  the  double 
white  flowering,  which  blooms  several  weeks  later  than  the 
common  sorts,  and  forms  a taller  tree  in  proportion  to  its 
breadth.  The  red-flowering  horse-chestnuts  are  lower  and 
rounder-headed  trees,  of  slower  growth,  and  would  not  pair  so 
well  with  either  of  the  sorts  named,  but  would  be  very  ap- 
propriate if  used  on  both  sides.  Of  a totally  different  character 
from  any  of  these  named,  is  the  cut-leaved  weeping  birch,  of 
rapid  growth,  elegant  at  all  seasons,  and  also  adapted  to  these 
positions. 

Opposite  g , ten  feet  from  the  fence,  is  a Norway  spruce,  or,  if 
the  location  and  latitude  are  not  too  cold  for  it,  the  Nordmanns  fir, 
Picea  nordmaniana , which,  in  rich  soils,  has  foliage  of  unusual 
beauty.  Back  of  it  towards  the  fence,  fill  in  with  hemlocks,  arbor- 
vitaes,  and  yews,  which  grow  to  the  ground  and  make  an  impene- 
trable mass  of  evergreen  foliage.  The  side  gateway  is  intended  to 
be  covered  with  a hemlock-arch  of  some  of  the  forms  suggested  in 
Chapter  XIV,  which  should  connect  with  a continuous  hedge, 
broken  at  vi,  ;z,  by  one  or  two  pines,  and  varied  from  the  pines  to 
the  carriage-way  gate  with  a belt  of  many  kinds  of  shrubs.  At  c, 
five  feet  from  the  fence,  plant  the  Kolrentcria  paniculata , and  at  b, 
near  the  fence,  a bed  of  low-growing  spireas.  The  group  between 
2 and  4 may  be  composed  of  bush  honeysuckles  or  of  shrubby  ever- 
greens. The  small  shrub  nearly  over  2 may  be  an  Abies  gregoriana , 
or  a golden  yew.  The  group  in  the  left-hand  corner  may  be  com- 
posed of  good  old  shrubs  like  lilacs,  the  purple  berberry,  weigelas, 
deutzias,  and  the  purple-leaved  filbert ; and  for  the  two  trees  we 
would  suggest  the  common  catalpa  for  the  place  ten  feet  from  the 
fence,  and  the  Magnolia  machrophylla  for  the  one  nearer  the  house. 
On  the  left,  on  the  line  of  the  middle  of  the  front  veranda,  and 
twenty  feet  from  the  left  side  of  the  lot,  a single  specimen  of  the 
Bhotan  pine,  P.  excelsa , or  the  two  weeping  firs,  Abies  inverta  and 
Picea  pedinata  pendula ; just  behind  them  some  of  the  yews  of  the 
podocarpus  or  cephalotaxus  tribe ; back  of  these,  along  the  fence,  a 
dense  mass  of  hemlocks,  with  now  and  then  some  light-colored  or 


AND  G R 0 UND  S. 


143 


variegated-leaved  small  plants  or  shrubs  on  the  border  in  front  of 
them.  The  group  beyond,  projecting  towards  the  house,  is  sup- 
posed to  be  composed  of  a variety  of  the  best  arbor-vitaes  broken 
in  color  by  some  of  the  dark  yews, — the  little  out-lying  member  of 
the  group  to  be  the  Irish  juniper. 

It  is  impracticable  to  trace  through  all  the  details.  The  reader 
must  observe  that  the  very  small  shrubs  which  are  indicated 
in  isolated  positions  on  the  lawn  are.  intended  for  very  com- 
pact evergreen  or  other  shrubs,  which  take  up  but  little  room  and 
are  pleasing  objects  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  At  the  four  outer 
corners  of  the  two  bays  may  be  planted,  in  pairs,  specimens  of  the 
Irish  and  Swedish  junipers,  or  some  of  the  slender  yews.  At  the 
corner  of  the  open  space  in  front  of  the  carriage-house  is  a horse- 
block, to  be  shaded  by  a white  pine.  Nearly  in  front  of  the  side 
entrance  to  the  house  is  a rosary,  for  which  may  be  substituted 
with  good  effect  a Bhotan  pine,  with  a cut-leaved  weeping  birch 
close  behind  it,  if  the  proprietor  does  not  wish  to  make  and  keep 
up  the  rose-bed  with  the  expense  and  care  which  it  annually  re- 
quires. If  the  birch  just  named  has  been  selected  for  the  tree 
near  the  corners  of  the  front  veranda,  it  need  not  be  repeated. 

These  grounds,  with  no  other  plantings  than  are  indicated, 
would  doubtless  look  bare  for  some  years.  The  places  which  the 
trees  and  shrubs  are  ultimately  to  cover,  must  be  filled,  in  the  in- 
tervening time,  with  annuals  and  bedding-plants  which  will  make 
the  best  substitutes  for  them.  We  would  decidedly  advise  not  to 
plant  trees  or  large  shrubs  any  nearer  together  than  they  ought  to 
be  when  full  grown,  on  the  tempting  plea  that  when  they  crowd 
each  other  some  of  them  may  be  removed.  Nine  persons  out  of 
ten  will  not  have  the  nerve  to  remove  the  surplusage  so  soon  as  it 
ought  to  be  done,  and  when  they  do  see  the  unsightly  result  of  a 
crowded  plantation,  there  will  be  one  good  excuse  for  not  doing  it, 
viz. : that  trees  which  have  grown  up  together  have  mis-shaped 
each  other,  so  that  when  one  is  cut  away  those  that  remain  show 
one-sided,  and  naked  in  parts.  It  is  better  to  have  patience  while 
little  trees  slowly  rise  to  the  size  we  would  have  them  ; and,  while 
watching  and  waiting  on  them,  let  the  ground  they  are  eventually 
to  cover  be  made  bright  with  ephemeral  flowers  and  shrubs.  When 


144 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


the  trees  approach  maturity  they  will  have  developed  beauties  that 
crowded  trees  never  show. 


Plate  III. 

Crowded  and  Open  Grounds  Compared , on  a Cottage  Lot  of  fifty 

feet  front. 

Here  we  have  two  lots  50  x 200  each.  The  plan  and  position 
for  a small  cottage-house,  and  the  walks,  are  the  same  on  both. 
The  plan  on  the  right  is  intended  to  show  the  common  mode  of 
cluttering  the  yard  so  full  of  good  things  that,  like  an  overloaded 
table,  it  lessens  the  appetite  it  is  intended  to  gratify.  Let  us  pic- 
ture Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.,  master  and  mistress  of  the  house,  unskillful 
but  enthusiastic,  engaged  in  their  first  plantings.  The  lot  is  a 
bare  one.  Fruit  trees  are  the  first  necessities ; places  are  therefore 
found  for  four  cherry,  and  five  pear  trees,  without  trespassing  much 
on  the  “front  yard,”  which  is  sacred,  in  true  American  homes, 
to  floral  and  sylvan  embellishments.  It  is  to  fill  this  ground 
that  our  proprietors  are  now  to  make  choice  of  trees  and  shrubs. 
Mr.  A.  and  wife  are  agreed  that  evergreens  are  indispensable,  and 
that  the  balsam  fir  and  the  Norway  spruce  are  the  prettiest  of  ever- 
greens— for  “ everybody  plants  them.”  Accordingly  a couple  of 
Norway  spruces  flank  the  gate  at  a little  distance  inside,  and  a pair 
of  balsam  firs  (prettiest  of  trees  as  they  emerge,  fragrant,  from  the 
nurserymen’s  bundles)  are  placed  conspicuously  not  far  from  the 
house-steps,  on  each  side  the  main-walk.  Mrs.  A.  suggests  that 
the  weeping-willow  is  the  most  graceful  of  all  trees.  Who  can 
gainsay  that  ? Mr.  A.  does  not,  and  in  go  two  willows  in  the  two 
front  corners  of  the  yard.  Then  there’s  the  mountain  ash  with  a 
“ form  as  perfect  as  a top,  and  such  showy  clusters  of  red  fruit,” 
suggests  Mrs.  A.,  “and  everybody  plants  them.”  Of  course  this 
tree  is  planted,  one  on  each  side  of  the  yard,  midway  between  the 
walk  and  sides  of  the  lot,  in  that  open  space  above  the  willows. 
Then  the  walk  is  bordered  from  the  gate  towards  the  house 
with  rose-bushes  of  all  sorts,  while  lilacs,  honeysuckles,  spireas, 


- 


A ND  G R 0 UND  S. 


145 


syringas,  and  whatever  else  is  known  to  be  beautiful  and  easily  ob- 
tained, are  crowded  along  the  side  fences.  Mrs.  A.  insists  that  a 
space  shall  be  left  on  both  sides  of  the  main-walk  for  her  flowers. 
Accordingly  the  beds  are  formed  as  shown  on  the  plan,  and  planted 
with  all  the  fine  flowering  bulbs  and  annuals  that  she  can  get 
plants  or  seeds  of.  There  is  still  wanting  a feature  that  some 
neighboring  place  has,  viz. : one  or  more  fanciful  trellises — master- 
pieces of  delicate  carpentry,  brilliant  with  white  paint — upon  which 
to  train  pillar  roses.  “ There’s  just  the  place  for  them,”  says  Mrs. 
A.,  “just  in  the  middle  of  the  yard,  on  each  side,”  and  there  they 
are  placed. 

We  need  not  follow  their  planting  further.  The  plan  (on  the 
right)  shows  how  the  place  will  be  filled  in  two  or  three  years. 
Each  latest  planting  is  put  in  the  most  convenient  open  space,  and 
every  spring  brings  some  new  candidate  for  a place.  At  the  end 
of  eight  or  ten  years  let  us  look  in  upon  the  ground  and  see  the 
result.  There  should  be  a home-picture,  with  its  encircling  fore- 
ground, its  open  middle  distance,  its  vine-clad  cottage  centre, 
smiling  like  a speaking  portrait  well  framed.  What  will  it  be,  if  it 
has  been  planted  and  kept  in  this  mode,  still  so  common  in 
suburban  places  ? A mass  of  agglomerated  and  tangled  verdure. 
Pass  along  the  street,  and  the  lovely  foliage  of  the  two  willows 
marks  the  spot,  but  beneath  their  overshadowing  foliage  the  ever- 
greens and  other  trees  have  a feeble  existence,  and  their  spindling 
forms  as  they  essay,  with  prim  pertness,  to  stretch  above  the 
crowding  shrubs  and  tangled  grass  around  them  to  maintain  their 
individuality,  are  met  by  a wet  blanket  of  the  willow’s  shade  in 
summer,  and  her  damp  old  clothes  in  the  autumn.  Straggling 
rose-bushes  and  overgrown  shrubs  elbow  each  other  over  the  walk, 
and  quarrel  for  space  with  the  grass  and  old  annuals  that  try  in 
vain  to  get  their  share  of  room  and  light.  As  some  English  re- 
viewer says  of  the  bedrooms  of  little  gothic  cottages — “ somewhere 
•around  among  the  gables” — may  be  observed  of  all  the  pretty 
things  that  have  with  so  much  care  been  planted  on  this  place — 
they  are  to  be  found  somewhere  among  the  bushes ; and  behind 
all,  as  if  the  one  great  object  of  planting  were  to  hide  it  out  of 
sight,  is  a cottage, 
io 


146 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


Happily  such  modes  of  planting  are  becoming  rarer,  but  they 
are  still  quite  too  common. 

Now  we  do  not  mean  to  convey  the  idea  that  this  little  piece  of 
ground  might  be  made  into  a little  park  by  judicious  planting,  or 
that  all  of  what  has  been  crowded  into  it  might  have  been  put  in 
differently  without  crowding  it.  It  is  a small  lot  on  which  it  is  not 
possible  to  have  a great  variety  of  trees  and  shrubs  without  clutter- 
ing it,  and  losing  all  appearance  of  a lawn.  Our  plan  on  the  left 
of  the  same  plate  is  not  designed  to  show  the  most  artistic  way  of 
treating  this  small  yard,  but  to  show  the  most  simple  way  of  not 
overdoing  by  mis- planting.  The  fruit  trees  are  introduced  in  about 
the  same  places  as  in  the  other  plan,  but  in  front  of  them  no  over- 
shadowing trees  are  planted.  At  the  sides,  other  yards  are  sup- 
posed to  connect  with  this  lot,  and  openings  are  left  in  the  border 
shrubbery  to  avail  of  whatever  pleasant  lookouts  may  thus  be 
obtained.  All  the  middle  portion  of  the  yard  is  unbroken  by 
shrubbery,  which  is  arranged  in  groups  near  the  corners,  and 
around  the  house.  The  entrance  gateway  should  be  embellished 
with  a verdant  arch  of  hemlock ; the  front  corners  of  the  lot  may 
be  marked  by  carefully  grown  specimens  of  arbor-vitaes  or  slender 
junipers ; the  small  trees  standing  alone,  about  seven  feet  from  the 
front,  should  be  choice  specimens;  either  evergreen  or  deciduous, 
similar  in  form,  and  as  dissimilar  as  possible  in  color  and  foliage. 
Among  evergreens  we  would  name  for  these  places  the  two  weep- 
ing firs — Abies  itiverta  pendula  and  Picea  pectinata  pendula — as  the 
most  appropriate  of  all ; or,  for  one  side  the  yew  Taxus  stricta  or 
erecta,  and  on  the  other  the  yew  Taxas  aurea.;  or  the  weeping 
arbor- vitae  for  one  side,  and  the  weeping  juniper  for  the  other  ; or 
with  dwarfs,  of  the  dwarf  pine  P.  strobus  compacta  on  one  side,  and 
the  mugho  pine  on  the  other.  With  deciduous  arboreous  shrubs 
or  small  trees,  the  variety  to  choose  from  is  very  great.  We  will 
suggest  for  one  side  the  weeping  Japan  sophora,  grafted  not  more 
than  seven  feet  high,  and  for  the  other  the  double  scarlet  haw- 
thorn, C.  coccinnea  Jiore plena,  cut  to  resemble  the  sophora  in  out- 
line; or  for  one  side  the  Indian  catalpa  (see  Fig.  129),  and  for  the 
other  a sassafras  or  a white  dogwood,  Cornus  florida , kept  clipped 
down  at  the  top  so  that  it  shall  not  exceed  eight  feet  in  height  or 


AND  GROUNDS. 


147 


breadth  of  top.  In  selecting  some  deciduous  miniature  trees  for 
these  places  we  would  choose  those  that  have  low,  parasol  forms, 
and  clean,  tree-like,  but  very  short  stems.  The  common  orange 
quince  tree,  if  planted  in  a deep  moist  soil,  grown  thriftily,  and 
treated  with  the  same  attention  that  we  would  bestow  o?i  a valuable 
exotic,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  very  low  spreading-topped 
shrubby  trees,  and  well  adapted  to  the  places  under  consideration. 
The  kilmarnock  willow,  though  it  has  neither  the  beauty  of  blossom, 
leaf,  or  fruit,  that  distinguish  a well-grown  quince  tree,  is  certainly 
a sort  of  model  of  formal  grace  and  symmetry,  and  might  be  used 
on  one  side  and  balanced  on  the  other  with  a low-grown  ever- 
flowering  weeping  cherry,  Cerasus  semperfloreus.  Or  luxuriantly 
grown  single  bushes  of  the  common  fragrant  syringa,  tartarian 
bush  honeysuckle,  rose  weigela,  or  lilac  rothmagensis , will  be  ap- 
propriate for  the  same  place. 

The  plan  in  general  is  too  simple  to  require  explanation,  and 
is  introduced  to  call  attention  to  the  superior  beauty  of  simplicity, 
compared  with  complexity  of  planting,  on  small  places. 


Plate  IV,  A and  B. 

Designs  for  a Lawn  on  a Lot  of  fifty  feet  front  with  considerable 

depth. 

This  design  has  already  been  alluded  to  in  Chapter  XI,  on 
Arrangement  in  Planting,  in  illustrating  the  application  of  Rule  I 
to  small  places.  The  lot  has  a front  of  fifty  feet,  and  an  in- 
definite extension  in  the  rear.  The  plan  is  designed  to  show 
the  pretty  space  of  lawn  that  can  be  kept  on  a quite  small  lot, 
provided  the  latter  has  depth  enough,  by  placing  the  house  well 
. back.  The  lot  is  supposed  to  be  between  side  properties  which 
it  is  impracticable  to  connect  with,  and  therefore  isolated  by 
close  fences  and  border  shrubbery  from  them.  The  distance  from 
the  street  to  the  bay-windows  is  eighty  feet.  The  compact  house 
plan  is  adapted  to  the  position  by  having  its  entrance  on  the  side, 
so  that  the  best  window-views  possible  under  the  circumstances 


148 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


will  be  secured  from  the  bays  of  the  two  principal  rooms.  The 
walk,  as  we  have  previously  observed,  is  made  near  one  side,  to 
leave  all  the  central  portion  of  the  lot  in  open  lawn.  It  is  not 
possible  to  keep  this  openness  of  expression,  and  at  the  same  time 
have  large  trees  on  the  lot.  They  must  be  dispensed  with ; and  in 
stocking  the  borders  to  make  a rich  environment  of  verdure  for  the 
lawn,  the  choice  must  be  exclusively  among  small  trees  and  shrubs. 
Let  us  begin  at  the  gate.  Here  we  would  set  out  to  have  a hem- 
lock arch  • — though  the  trees  as  shown  on  the  plan  erroneously 
symbolize  deciduous  trees.  At  the  opposite  front  corner  we 
would  plant  the  two  slender  weeping  firs,  Abies  excelsa  inverta 
and  Picea  p.  pendula . But  as  their  growth  is  slow  compared 

with  that  of  many  fine  deciduous  shrubs,  a mass  of  the  latter 
may  be  planted  near  the  firs,  to  fill  that  corner  with  foliage  until 
the  latter  are  from  twelve  to  twenty  years  old,  when  the  weeping 
firs  will  be  large  enough  to  fill  it  beautifully  without  support. 
The  border  on  the  left  should  be  made  up  of  evergreen  shrubs 
or  trees,  as  varied  in  foliage  as  possible,  and  of  those  sorts  which 
do  not  exceed  six  or  seven  feet  in  height  and  breadth.  The  iso- 
lated small  trees  or  shrubs  which  stand  out  from  this  border  are 
designed  to  be  of  deciduous  sorts,  the  most  charming  for  their 
forms,  foliage,  or  flowers  ; the  largest  of  which  should  not,  within 
ten  years,  exceed  ten  feet  in  breadth.  These,  and  the  dwarf  shrubs 
which  flank  them,  can  be  selected  from  the  lists  to  be  found  in  the 
Appendix.  As  some  of  those  which  are  in  time  the  most  interest- 
ing are  of  exceedingly  slow  growth,  bedding  plants  and  annuals 
which  will  preserve  the  same  form  for  the  groups  by  their  propor- 
tioned sizes  may  be  substituted.  But  there  is  no  question  of  the 
superior  beauty,  in  the  end,  of  the  place  which  is  largely  composed 
of  trees  and  shrubs  that  make  it  charming  in  winter  and  early  spring 
as  well  as  in  summer.  The  quick  and  brilliant  effects  that  may 
be  produced  with  bedding-plants  can,  however,  be  combined  some- 
what with  more  permanent  plantings,  if  the  planter  will  be  watch- 
ful not  to  let  his  vigorous  but  ephemeral  summer-plants  smother  the 
slower  growing  dwarfs.  The  latter  will  not  long  survive  being  thus 
deprived  of  sun  and  air  in  summer,  and  then  left  bare  in  the  bleak 
winter,  while  their  summer  companions  which  lorded  over  them 


/ 


A N D G R 0 UND  S. 


149 


have  been  carefully  removed  to  the  cellar  or  the  green-house. 
A pine  tree  is  shown  on  the  left  near  the  house.  This  is  ex- 
ceptionally large.  It  is  intended  for  a white  pine,  which  grows 
rapidly  in  breadth  as  well  as  height,  and  might  soon  cover  half  the 
width  of  the  lot  with  its  branches.  But  it  is  readily  “drawn  up,” 
as  foresters  say, — that  is,  it  is  easily  reconciled  to  the  loss  of  its 
lower  limbs,  and  sends  its  vigor  to  the  upper  ones ; so  that  it 
naturally  becomes  an  over-arching  tree.  In  time  it  will  over-top, 
and  form  an  evergreen  frame  for  that  side  of  the  house,  while  the 
lawn  under  it  will  be  unbroken.  The  small  round  shrubs  near  the 
outside  corners  of  the  bay-windows  may  be,  one,  a golden  arbor- 
vitae,  and  the  other  the  golden  yew,  both  rather  dwarf  evergreens, 
of  pleasing  form,  and  warm-toned  verdure.  Between  the  bay- 
windows,  and  near  the  house,  is  a suitable  place  for  an  elegant 
rose-pillar  or  trellis,  and  a bed  of  roses.  Directly  in  front  of  it, 
and  sixteen  feet  from  the  house,  is  a good  position  for  a fine  vase, 
or  a basket  in  a bed  of  flowers,  as  shown  on  the  plan.  The  pair 
of  trees  nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  front,  near  the  street,  we  would 
have  the  weeping  J apan  sophora,  on  a line  with  the  middle  of  the 
house,  and  not  more  than  four  feet  apart.  The  main  walk  is  repre- 
sented on  the  plan  by  two  modes  of  planting ; the  one,  marked  A, 
characterized  by  an  alternation  of  shrubs  and  bedding-plants  on 
the  right,  and  beds  of  flowers  on  the  left ; the  other,  marked  B,  by 
a symmetric  disposition  of  three  groups  of  trees  crossing  and 
arching  over  the  walk,  and  a belt  of  shrubs  against  the  fence. 

For  the  first,  or  shrub  and  flower-border  plan,  the  following 
selection  of  shrubs  is  recommended  on  the  fence-border.  All  the 
way  from  the  street,  to  opposite  the  house,  we  would  plant  the 
Irish  and  English  ivy  close  to  the  bottom  of  the  fence,  and  would 
endeavor  to  make  it  cover  the  latter  completely.  Supposing  the 
fence  not  to  be  more  than  four  or  five  feet  high,  these  ivies  can 
generally  be  made  to  effect  this,  and  although  the  growth  near  the 
top  may  often  be  winter-killed,  the  plants,  if  taken  care  of,  will 
finally  make  a rich  wall  of  verdure.  If  there  is  no  probability  of 
eventually  joining,  by  openings  on  that  side,  with  neighbors’  im- 
provements, it  will  be  a great  addition  to  the  beauty  of  this 
border  to  have  the  fence  a well-made  stone  wall,  upon  which  the 


150 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


ivy  is  always  most  beautiful.  From  the  hemlock  arch  to  a point 
twenty  feet  from  the  fence,  plant  with  tree-box,  mahonias,  and 
rhododendrons,  set  two  and  a half  feet  from  the  fence  ; then  a 
concave  bed  ten  feet  long  is  devoted  to  bulbous  flowering-plants 
and  annuals  ; the  next  ten  feet  to  be  occupied  by  the  pink  and  the 
red-flowered  tree  honeysuckles  six  feet  apart,  with  the  fragrant 
jasmine  between  them  ; the  next  ten  feet  in  flowers  as  before ; the 
next  to  be  occupied  by  the  Deutzia  crenata  alba  and  the  Deutzia 
crenata  rubra  flore  plena , six  feet  apart,  with  the  Deutzia  gracilis 
between  them ; the  next,  flowers ; and  the  last  group  of  shrubs  to 
be  the  Lilac  rothmagensis  and  the  Weigela  rosea  six  feet  apart, 
with  the  Spirea  calosa  alba  between  and  the  golden  yew,  Taxus 
aurea , beyond ; — closing  the  planting  on  that  side.  On  the  veranda- 
posts  five  different  vines  may  be  trained  ; on  the  fence  in  front  of 
them  nothing  better  can  be  done  than  to  cover  it  with  Irish  ivy,  or 
such  low-growing  annual  vines,  on  cords  or  wires,  as  will  make  the 
best  wall  of  leaves  and  flowers  during  the  summer,  and  which  can 
be  readily  cleared  away  before  winter.  Beyond  the  veranda,  on 
the  left,  is  a place  for  a group  of  shrubs  of  anything  that  the  lady 
of  the  house  fancies.  The  evergreen  at  the  end  of  the  narrow 
walk  around  the  veranda  should  be  some  tall  and  handsome  tree. 
If  the  soil  is  sandy,  the  white-pine  kept  well  trimmed  will  make  a* 
fine  mass  of  evergreen  verdure  the  most  quickly.  In  a climate  not 
more  rigorous  than  that  of  Philadelphia,  the  Lawson  cypress,  C. 
lawsoniana , is  a good  tree  for  the  place ; further  north,  the 
pyramidal  spruce,  Abies  excels  a pyramidata,  a slender,  vigorous,  and 
peculiar  variety  of  the  Norway  spruce,  will  answer  well ; and  so 
will  a Bartlett  or  Seckel  pear  tree,  or  any  good  cherry  tree.  The 
evergreen,  however,  makes  the  best  back-ground  setting  for  the 
house.  By  planting  an  evergreen  on  each  side  the  walk,  at  that 
point,  an  arch  may  eventually  be  cut  under  them  to  form  a vista 
from  the  veranda  into  the  garden.  This  purpose  may  be  most 
quickly  effected  with  white-pines  or  hemlocks. 

The  embellishment  of  the  walk-border  by  the  other  mode,  as 
shown  on  the  plan  B,  may  be  done  as  follows : the  border  of  ivy 
along  the  fence  or  wall,  and  the  principal  shrubs  for  twenty  feet 
next  the  front,  may  be  the  same  as  on  the  first  plan  ; but  all  the 


A ND  GEO  UND  S. 


151 


flower-beds  are  to  be  omitted.  Twenty-three  feet  from  the  street, 
and  two  feet  from  the  walk  on  the  right,  plant  an  American  Judas 
tree,  Cercis  canadensis;  four  feet  further,  on  the  same  side,  the 
European  Judas  tree,  Cercis  siliquastrum  ; opposite  to  them,  on  the 
left  side  of  the  walk,  a clean  stemmed  white-flowering  dogwood, 
Cornus  florida.  Sixteen  feet  from  the  upper  J udas  tree,  plant  a pair 
of  sassafras  trees  four  feet  apart  in  the  same  relative  positions  as 
the  Judas  trees  in  the  first  group  ; opposite  to  them,  on  the  left  of 
the  walk,  the  Scamston  weeping-elm,  grafted  eight  feet  high  on  a 
common  elm  stock.  The  next  group,  sixteen  feet  further  on,  is 
made  with  a pair  of  Kolreuteria  paniculata  on  the  right,  and  a 
narrow  group  of  low  choice  shrubs  on  the  left  of  the  walk.  Very 
dwarf  evergreens,  or  deciduous  shrubs,  may  be  planted  to  the  left 
of  each  of  these  groups,  as  indicated  on  the  plan,  or  those  places 
may  be  filled  with  single  plants  of  rich  and  abundant  foliage,  like 
the  more  robust  geraniums,  the  Colleus  verschafelti,  cannas,  little 
circles  of  salvias,  etc.,  etc. 

It  is  intended  that  the  groups  of  low-growing  trees  which  border 
this  walk  shall  form  flat  arches  over  head,  not  more  than  eight  feet 
over  the  walk  ; and  the  trees  must  be  reared  and  pruned  to  effect 
this  object.  The  Judas  trees  and  the  dogwood  naturally  spread 
quite  low.  The  study  with  them  will  be,  how  to  draw  them  up  so 
that  they  will  not  be  in  the  way  over  head.  The  sassafras,  though 
a flat-topped  tree,  sometimes  gets  too  high  before  beginning  to 
spread.  If  it  keeps  a strong  centre-stem  it  should  be  topped  at 
eight  feet  high  to  hasten  its  spreading.  The  Kolreuterias  are  rather 
too  large  for  their  place,  but  are  low-spreading  trees  of  great  deli- 
cacy of  foliage  and  warmth  of  color ; and  even  if  they  finally 
extend  their  branches  far  towards  the  bay-windows,  the  view  under 
them  will  be  the  more  pleasing. 


152 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


Plates  V and  VI. 

Designs  for  Village  Lots  60  x 150  feet : one  an  In- Lot,  and  the  other 

a Corner  Lot. 

These  designs  are  very  simple  and  inexpensive  in  their 
character,  and  have  been  partially  described  in  Chapter  XI.  The 
house-plan  is  the  same  in  both  j not  compact,  but  rather  stretched 
along  the  side  of  the  lot  farthest  from  the  street  so  as  to 
leave  a fair  space  on  the  other  side,  upon  which  the  best  rooms 
and  the  verandas  (which  may  be  considered  the  pleasantest  sum- 
mer rooms  of  a house)  are  located.  The  house-fronts  are  each 
forty  feet  from  the  main  street.  Both  ground-plans  are  supposed 
to  open  into  other  yards  adjoining,  on  a line  from  ten  to  twenty- 
five  feet  from  the  street ; on  that  line  they  are,  therefore,  left  un- 
planted with  anything  that  will  obstruct  views  across  the  lawn. 
On  Plate  V the  walks  are  made  in  right  lines ; while,  on  Plate  VI, 
the  entrance  being  at  the  corner,  convenience  dictates  curved  lines 
as  the  most  desirable.  If,  on  the  latter,  the  gateway  were  in  the 
same  place  as  in  the  former,  the  straight-line  walk  would  be  pre- 
ferable, as  there  would  be  no  object  in  making  it  otherwise. 

Plate  V. — The  front  gate  is  to  be  arched  over  in  some  of 
the  modes  suggested  in  Chapter  XIV,  and  on  the  left  a dense 
screen  to  the  corner  is  to  be  made  with  evergreen  shrubs  or 
shrubby  trees.  Twenty  feet  from  the  front,  and  five  feet  from 
the  left  side,  a tree  of  medium  size  is  represented.  It  may  be 
any  one  of  the  following : a Magnolia  machrophylla , catalpa, 
double  white  or  red-flowering  horse-chestnut,  bird  cherry  ( Prunns 
padus),  a cut-leaved  weeping  birch,  purple-beech,  Kolreuteria , Vir- 
gil ia,  red-twigged  linden,  grape-leaved  linden,  scarlet  maple, 
purple-leaved  maple,  Salisbnria  or  ginkgo  tree  (if  cut  back  at  the 
top),  or  a sassafras.  Any  handsome  tree  will  do  which  branches 
low,  but  still  high  enough  to  allow  a person  to  walk  under  its 
branches  after  it  has  been  planted  five  or  six  years,  and  which 
does  not  quickly  become  a great  tree.  Five  feet  from  the  fence, 


AND  GROUNDS. 


153 


facing  the  main  entrance  steps,  we  would  plant  the  pendulous 
Norway  spruce,  Abies  excels  a mverta ; along  the  fence  towards  the 
front,  a dense  mass  of  low-growing  evergreens  ; along  the  fence  on 
the  other  side  of  the  spruce  (opposite  the  bay-window),  a hemlock 
hedge,  merging  as  it  recedes  from  the  front  to  the  grape-trellis  into  a 
belt  of  evergreens.  The  groups  of  shrubs  indicated  in  many  places 
against  the  house,  must  be  of  the  best  species,  which  grow  from 
two  to  seven  feet  in  height ; and  ought  to  embrace  in  each  group 
one  or  more  shrubs  with  fragrant  flowers,  so  that  there  shall  be  no 
summer  month  when  the  windows  will  not  be  perfumed  from  them. 
It  is  becoming  a fashion  to  decry  the  planting  of  shrubs  in  contact 
with  dwelling  houses.  This  fashion  is  a part  of  an  extreme 
reaction  that  possesses  the  public  mind  against  the  old  and  un- 
healthy mode  of  embowering  houses  so  completely  under  trees, 
and  packing  yards  so  densely  with  shrubs,  that  many  homes  were 
made  dark  and  damp  enough  to  induce  consumption  and  other 
diseases ; and  physicians  have  been  obliged  to  protest  against 
their  injurious  effects  on  the  health  of  the  inmates.  But  low- 
growing  shrubs  planted  against  the  basement-walls  of  suburban 
houses,  and  rising  only  a few  feet  higher  than  the  first  floor,  are 
not  open  to  any  such  objections.  A house  that  is  nested  in  shrubs 
which  seem  to  spring  out  of  its  nooks  and  corners  with  some- 
thing of  the  freedom  that  characterizes  similar  vegetation  spring- 
ing naturally  along  stone  walls  and  fences,  seems  to  express  the 
mutual  recognition  and  dependence  of  nature  and  art ; the 
shrubs  loving  the  warmth  of  the  house-walls,  and  the  house 
glad  to  be  made  more  charming  in  the  setting  of  their  ver- 
dure and  blossoms.  Many  pleasing  shrubs  will  do  well  where 
their  roots  can  feel  the  warmth  that  foundation-walls  retain  in 
winter,  which  will  not  flourish  in  open  exposed  ground.  Some  will 
do  well  in  shady  nooks  and  northern  exposures  which  cannot  be 
grown  in  sunny  projections  ; others  need  all  the  sun  of  the  latter 
. exposures,  and  are  grateful  in  addition  for  all  the  reflected  heat 
from  the  house-walls.  The  foundations  (provided  of  course  that 
they  are  of  a deep  and  substantial  character)  thus  become  protect- 
ing walls  that  offer  to  the  skillful  planter  many  studies  in  the 
selection  and  arrangement  of  small  shrubs.  No  well-constructed 


154 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


house  will  be  dampened,  or  have  the  sunlight  excluded  from  its 
windows,  by  such  shrubs  as  we  would  recommend  for  planting  in 
the  groups  indicated  against  the  houses  in  Plates  V and  VI.  Small 
as  they  are,  each  one  of  these  little  places  for  shrubs  are  studies. 
Whether  to  plant  a single  robust  shrub  in  each  place,  which  will 
spread  to  fill  it,  or  to  form  a collection  of  lilliputian  shrubs  around 
some  taller  one,  is  for  the  planter  to  decide.  We  cannot  here  in- 
dicate, in  detail,  the  plantings  for  all  these  places.  It  will  be  ob- 
served that  the  right-hand  front  comer  of  the  lot  is  filled  with 
shrubs,  supposed  to  be  but  a part  of  a group,  the  other  part  of 
which  is  on  the  lot  of  the  adjoining  neighbor.  This  may  be  com- 
posed of  large  shrubs,  such  as  altheas,  deutzias,  lilacs,  etc.,  for 
the  interior,  and  weigelas,  bush  honeysuckles,  Gordon’s  currants, 
berberries,  and  low  spireas  of  graceful  growth  for  the  outside.  The 
tree  ten  feet  from  the  right-hand  corner  should  be  one  of  the 
smallest  class.  The  weeping  Japan  sophora  grafted  not  more  than 
six  feet  high,  the  ever-flowering  weeping  cherry,  the  new  weeping 
thorn,  the  double  scarlet  thorn  ( Coccinnea  flore  plena)  will  make 
pretty  trees  for  such  a place.  If  something  to  produce  a quick, 
luxuriant  growth  is  preferred,  the  Judas  tree,  Cercis  canadensis , or 
the  Scamston  weeping-elm,  grafted  on  another  stock  seven  or 
eight  feet  high,  will  do  ; though  the  latter  will  eventually  become  a 
wide-spreading  tree  too  large  for  the  place. 

The  isolated  small  tree,  or  large  shrub,  about  seven  feet  from 
the  fence  near  the  middle  of  the  front,  may  be  an  Andromeda 
arborea,  or  the  Indian  catalpa  (the  hardiness  of  which  is  not  fully 
tested  north  of  Philadelphia),  the  purple-fringe  (grown  low  as  . a 
tree),  the  tree  honeysuckle,  Lonicera  grandijlora , grown  low  on  a 
single  stem,  the  Weigela  amabilis , also  in  tree-form  ; Josikia  or 
chionanthus-leaved  lilac,  the  dwarf  weeping  cherry  (a  very  slow 
grower),  the  Chionafithus  virginica  (a  little  tender  north  of  Phila- 
delphia), the  rose  acacia  grown  over  an  iron  frame,  or  any  out- 
arching,  low,  small  tree,  weeping  or  otherwise,  the  foliage  of  which 
is  pleasing  throughout  the  season.  Or,  if  a single  evergreen  is 
preferred,  any  one  of  the  following  will  do : the  dwarf  white-pine, 
P.  strobus  comp  acta,  the  golden  yew,  Taxus  aurea , the  weeping 
silver-fir,  Picea  pectmata  pendula , the  golden  arbor-vitae,  or  the 


AND  GROUNDS . 


155 


weeping  arbor-vitae.  None  of  these  will  grow  to  greater  size  than 
the  place  requires,  but  they  grow  slowly.  A pretty  effect  may  be 
produced  here  by  planting  the  erect  yew,  Taxus  erecta , where  the 
centre  of  the  tree  is  indicated  on  the  plan,  with  a golden  arbor- 
vitae  in  front  and  a golden  yew  behind  it.  The  erect  yew  is  taller 
than  the  others,  and  very  dark,  so  that  if  the  three  • are  planted  not 
more  than  one  or  two  feet  apart,  they  will  grow  into  a beautiful 
compact  mass  made  up  of  three  quite  distinct  tones  of  foliage.  Or 
another  pretty  substitute  for  the  one  small  tree,  as  shown  on  the 
plan,  may  be  made  by  using  the  excessively  slender  Irish  juniper  for 
a centre  i,  and  grouping  close  around  it  the  golden  arbor-vitae  2,  the 
Podocarpus  (or  Taxus ) japonica  3,  the  dwarf  silver-fir,  Picea  com- 
pacta , 6,  the  pigmy  spruce,  Abies  excels  a pygmoea,  4,  the  dwarf 
hemlock,  Abies  canadensis  parsoni,  5,  and  the  creeping  euonymus, 
Japonicus  radicans  marginatus.  This  will  in  time  make  an  irregu- 
lar pyramid  composed  of  an  interesting  variety  of  foliage  and 
color,  and  easily  protected  in  winter,  if  the  plants  are  of  doubtful 
hardiness  or  vigor. 

The  vase  and  flower-beds  in  front  of  the  bay-window  need  no 
explanation.  All  the  flower-beds  shown  on  this  plan,  except  the 
one  opposite  the  back-porch,  should  be  filled  only  with  flowering- 
plants  of  the  lowest  growth : the  bed  excepted,  and  the  place 
behind  it,  shown  as  shrubbery,  may  be  occupied  by  taller  plants, 
which  are  showy  in  leaves  or  flowers  : but  we  think  the  effect  will 
be  more  constantly  pleasing  if  the  latter  is  filled  with  evergreen 
shrubs  from  two  to  seven  feet  in  height,  mostly  rhododendrons. 

At  the  front  end  of  the  bed  of  roses,  on  the  right,  we  would 
plant  the  Nordmans  fir,  Picea  Nordmaniana , an  evergreen  tree  of 
superior  foliage,  and  believed  hardy  in  most  parts  of  the  country. 
It  eventually  becomes  a large  tree,  but  will  bear  trimming  when  it 
begins  to  encroach  too  much  upon  the  lawn. 

The  hemlock  screen  represented  opposite  the  bath-room  win- 
• dow  should  be  thrown  back  to  the  end  of  the  wash-room  if  the 
owner  prefers  to  have  that  strip  of  ground  in  lawn,  rather  than 
under  culture.  We  ask  the  reader  to  excuse  us  for  having  placed 
it  where  it  is,  for  the  space  between  the  house  and  the  currant- 
bushes  allows  of  a pretty  strip  of  lawn  six  feet  wide,  from  which 


156 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


narrow  beds  may  be  cut  adjoining  the  foundation-walls,  for  beds  of 
low  or  slender  annuals,  which  will  not  sprawl  too  far  away  from 
the  house.  The  space  will  certainly  be  more  profitable  to  the  eye 
in  this  way  than  it  can  be  in  fruits  and  vegetables. 

Plate  VI. — This  plan  is  so  similar  to  the  preceding,  and  both 
are  of  so  simple  a character,  that  the  intelligent  reader  will  learn  by 
an  examination  of  the  plate  what  manner  of  planting  is  intended. 
This  plate  differs  principally  from  Plate  V in  having  four  pine  trees 
of  conspicuous  size  on  the  street  margin  of  the  lot.  This  pre- 
supposes a well-drained  sandy  soil,  for  without  a congenial  soil 
the  pines  will  not  develop  great  beauty.  Supposing  this  condition 
to  be  satisfied,  evergreens  may  be  made  a specialty  of  this  place, 
and  used  as  follows : Close  by  the  left-hand  gate-post  (entering 

from  the  street),  plant  a bunch  of  the  common  border-box  ; a foot 
from  it,  and  midway  between  the  walk  and  side  fence,  a plant  of 
the  broad-leaved  tree-box ; a foot  further,  on  the  same  mid-line, 
a plant  of  the  gold  or  silver  striped-leaved  tree-box;  then  fill 
in  with  hemlocks  a foot  apart,  and  a foot  from  the  fence,  as 
far  as  the  group  is  designated.  Four  feet  from  the  same  gate- 
post, and  two  feet  from  the  walk,  plant  a Podocarpus  japonica ; 
eight  feet  from  the  gate,  and  three  from  the  walk,  the  Cephalo- 
taxus  fortunii  mascula;  four  feet  beyond,  and  four  feet  from  the 
walk,  the  golden  arbor-vitae.  Between  the  right-hand  gate-post  and 
the  pine  tree,  fill  next  to  the  gate  with  the  common  English  ivy,  to 
trail  on  the  ground  and  form  a bush ; next,  midway  between  the 
fence  and  walk,  and  four  feet  from  the  post,  the  golden  yew  (Taxus 
baccata  anrea)  ; next,  same  distance  from  the  walk,  Sargent’s 
hemlock  (A.  canadensis  mverta) ; and  between  the  pine  and  the 
fence,  fill  in  with  mahonias  ( aquifolium  and  japonicum ).  The 

pine  here  alluded  to,  to  be  the  common  white  pine.  The 
dwarf  trees  shown  on  the  plan,  twenty  feet  from  the  gate,  are 
the  Abies  gregoriana  on  one  side  the  walk,  and  on  the  other 
the  Picea  hudsonica , or  the  Picea  pectinata  compacta.  These,  and 
the  gateway  groups,  form  an  entrance  through  evergreens  alone. 
In  climates  more  severe  than  that  of  New  York  city,  substi- 
tute the  Pijins  strobus  compacta  for  the  Cephalotaxus  fortunii 


AND  G R 0 UND  S. 


157 


mascula.  The  pine  tree  in  the  right-hand  corner  may  be  an 
Austrian,  taking  care  to  select  one  of  short  dense  growth. 
Between  it  and  the  corner  fill  in  with  a mass  of  assorted  rhodo- 
dendrons, or  with  such  shrubs  as  bush  honeysuckles,  deutzias  of 
the  smaller  sorts,  the  common  syringa,  purple  berberry,  variegated 
elder,  etc.  The  single  tree  in  the  middle  of  the  front  may  be  the 
weeping  Japan  sophora,  the  Judas  tree  ( Cercis  canadensis ),  or  a 
neatly  grown  specimen  of  the  white-flowering  dogwood  ( Cornus 
florida).  The  two  small  trees  marked  on  the  plan  io  feet  in 
front  of  each  front  corner  of  the  house  should  be  the  two  slender 
weeping  firs,  the  Abies  excelsa  inverta  and  the  Picea  pectinata  pen- 
dula , which  will  in  time  form  a graceful  flanking  for  the  bay- 
window,  and  point  the  two  groups  of  fragrant-blossomed  deciduous 
shrubs  shown  on  each  side  of  it.  The  shrubbery  shown  between 
the  walk  and  the  main  side  veranda  and  its  column  vines  should  be 
entirely  composed  of  bedding  plants  of  rich  foliage  and  successive 
bloom,  which  can  be  cleared  away  late  in  autumn.  The  remainder 
of  the  plan  is  so  like  that  for  Plate  V,  that  no  further  designation 
of  trees  and  shrubs  need  be  made.  A planter  who  is  familiar  with 
the  dimensions  and  qualities  of  trees  and  shrubs  may  make  a 
different  choice,  perhaps  improve  on  those  here  named,  and  give 
another  character  to  the  place.  The  gateway  entrance,  for  in- 
stance, may  be  bordered  by  low-growing  umbelliferous  trees  like 
the  Judas  tree,  the  weeping  sophora,  the  Scamston  elm,  the  sassa- 
fras, or  the  Kolreuteria  paniculata,  of  which  any  two  would  soon 
grow  to  form  a natural  arch.  The  use  of  any  of  these  trees  will 
not  prevent  the  planting,  under  them,  of  those  small  evergreens 
like  the  ivy,  the  box-wood,  and  some  others  which  flourish  in  par- 
tial shade.  Or,  some  of  the  trees  mentioned  in  Chapter  XIV  for 
artificial  arches,  may  be  employed  in  the  same  place  instead  of  the 
groups  of  low  evergreen  shrubs,  or  the  trees  just  named.  The 
pine  trees  which  are  shown  on  the  plan  (if,  as  before  remarked, 
the  soil  is  congenial  to  them),  in  connection  with  the  other  ever- 
greens, in  the  course  of  ten  years  would  give  an  evergreen  character 
to  the  outer  limits  of  the  lot  without  trespassing  too  much  on  the 
lawn  space ; and  although  a repetition  of  the  same  species  of  tree 
is  not  usually  desirable  on  a small  lot,  the  white  pine  unites  so 


158 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


many  more  qualities  which  suit  it  for  the  places  indicated,  than 
any  other  evergreen,  that  we  would  make  its  use  a specialty  of  the 
plan.  The  exquisite  Bhotan  pine  is  still  of  doubtful  longevity 
with  us  ; that  is  to  say,  it  occasionally  dies  out  after  eight  or  ten 
years  of  healthy  growth,  just  when  its  fountain-like  tufts  of  droop- 
ing foliage  have  become  so  conspicuously  beautiful  as  to  endear  it 
greatly  to  the  owner.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  long-leaved 
Pyrrenean  pine.  Neither  the  Austrian  or  the  Scotch  pines  drop 
their  lower  limbs  with  so  little  injury  to  their  symmetry  as  the 
white  pine,  nor  have  either  of  them  so  fine  a texture  of  foliage  or 
wood  when  seen  near  by.  On  small  lots,  ground-room  cannot 
well  be  afforded  for  that  extension  of  the  branches  of  evergreens 
upon  a lawn,  which  constitutes  one  of  their  greatest  beauties  where 
there  is  space  enough  around  to  allow  them  to  be  seen  to  advan- 
tage. Therefore  trees  which  develop  their  beauty  overhead,  and 
permit  the  lawn  to  be  used  and  seen  under  their  boughs,  are  more 
desirable. 


Plate  VII. 

A long , narrow  House , with  Front  near  the  Street,  on  an  In-Lot  sixty 
feet  wide , and  of  considerable  depth. 

We  have  here  an  inside  lot  of  sixty  feet  front,  occupied  to  the 
depth  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  by  the  house,  the  walks  and 
the  ground  embellishments.  The  kitchen-garden  is  back  of  the 
grape  trellis,  which  should  be  of  an  ornamental  character.  The 
house  is  stretched  out  to  correspond  with  the  form  of  the  lot,  which 
is  supposed  to  have  no  desirable  ground  connections  with  the  adjoin- 
ing lots,  yet  not  so  disagreeably  surrounded  as  to  make  it  neces- 
sary to  shut  out  by  trees  and  shrubs  the  out-look  over  the  fences 
from  the  side-windows  of  the  bay.  The  style  of  planting  here 
shown  is  such  as  would  suit  only  a person  or  family  of  decided 
taste  for  flowers,  and  the  choicest  selections  of  small  shrubs.  In 
the  rear  left-hand  corner  is  room  enough  for  two  cherry  trees, 
under  which  the  lawn  forms  a sufficient  drying-yard,  and  a con- 
venient currant-border  utilizes  a space  next  the  fence.  Besides 


A ND  G R 0 UND  S. 


159 


the  cherries,  no  large  trees  are  to  be  planted  except  hemlocks 
(marked  H),  which  are  gracefully  shrubby  in  their  early  growth, 
and  can  be  so  easily  kept  within  proper  bounds  by  pruning,  that 
they  are  introduced  to  form  an  evergreen  flanking  for  the  rear  of 
the  house,  and  back-ground  for  the  narrow  strips  of  lawn  on  either 
side  of  it.  In  time  they  will  overarch  the  walk,  and  under  their 
dark  shadows  the  glimpse  of  the  bit  of  lawn  beyond,  with  its  bright 
flowers,  will  be  brought  into  pretty  relief.  Our  engraver  has  been 
somewhat  unfortunate  in  the  extreme  rigidity  of  outline  given  to  all 
the  trees  and  shrubs  shown  on  this  plan,  yet  precision  and  formal- 
ity are  peculiarities  which  the  narrow  limits  of  the  lot  render 
necessary,  and  the  completeness  with  which  this  specialty  is 
carried  out  will  constitute  its  merit.  Nearly  all  the  shrub  and  tree 
embellishment  is  with  small  evergreens,  flowers  of  annuals,  and 
bedding  plants.  Flowers  are  always  relieved  with  good  effect 
when  seen  against  a back-ground  of  evergreens.  It  will  be 
observed  that  the  close  side-fences  are,  much  of  their  length, 
uncovered  by  shrubbery.  They  must,  therefore,  be  very  neatly, 
even  elegantly  made,  if  the  proprietor  can  afford  it.  They  then  be- 
come a suitable  backing  for  the  flowers  that  may  be  made  to  form 
a sloping  bank  of  bloom  against  them.  By  finishing  the  inside  of 
the  fence  en  espalier , it  may  be  covered  all  over  with  delicate 
summer  vines  whose  roots,  growing  under  it,  will  interfere  little  with 
planting  and  transplanting  seeds,  roots,  and  bulbs  in  front  of 
them.  In  naming  the  trees  intended  for  this  plan,  it  must  not  be 
supposed  that  other  selections  equally  good,  or  better,  may  not  be 
made  by  a good  gardener.  The  following  is  suggested  as  one  of 
many  that  will  be  appropriate  to  the  place  : 

A,  A.  Two  hemlocks  planted  two  feet  from  the  fence  and  from  the 

walk  to  form  an  arch  over  the  gate  when  large  enough,  as 

shown  in  Chapter  XIV. 

B.  Parson’s  dwarf  hemlock  two  feet  from  the  walk  and  six  feet 

from  the  fence. 

C,  C,  C,  C.  Irish  junipers  two  feet  from  the  walk. 

D.  Space  between  juniper  and  corner  post  on  the  right  may  be 

filled  with  mahonias,  English  ivy,  and  azalias  that  love  shade. 


ICO 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


E (next  to  the  fence).  Dwarf  weeping  juniper,  J.  oblonga  pendula . 

E (in  the  centre  of  front  group).  The  pendulous  Norway  spruce, 
Abies  excelsa  inverta , the  central  stem  of  which  must  be  kept 
erect  by  tying  to  a stake  until  it  is  from  six  to  eight  feet 
high. 

F,  F.  One,  the  dwarf  Norway  spruce,  Abies  gregoriana , and  the 
other  the  dwarf  silver-fir,  Picea  pectinata  compacta. 

G (in  the  front  group).  Golden  arbor-vitae. 

G (opposite  bow-window  of  living-room).  A bed  of  assorted 
geraniums. 

G (opposite  dining-room).  A single  plant  of  Colleus  verschafeltL 

H.  H,  H.  Hemlocks ; for  the  left-hand  front  corner  use  Sargent’s 

hemlock,  Abies  canadensis  inverta ; — its  main  stem  to  be  kept 
tied  to  a stake  until  it  has  a firm  growth  six  feet  high. 

I.  I,  I (on  the  left  side  of  walk).  Dwarf-box  for  clipping. 

I (on  right  side  of  walk).  The  weeping  arbor-vitae  and  the  dwarf 
weeping  juniper,  y.  oblonga  pendula. 

J.  Podocarpus  japonica , if  protected  in  winter. 

K.  Parson’s  arbor-vitae,  Thuja  occidentalis  compacta , two  feet  from 
the  fence.  Between  K and  L plant  a golden  arbor-vitae. 

L.  The  pendulous  silver-fir,  Picea  pectinata  pendula , four  feet  from 
the  fence.  Directly  back  of  it,  midway  between  it  and  the 
fence,  the  erect  yew,  Taxus  erecta , whose  deep  green  foliage 
will  contrast  well  with  the  golden  arbor-vitaes  near  it,  and  as 
its  hardiness  in  all  localities  is  not  so  well  proved  as  that  of 
the  other  trees  near  it,  its  placement  back  of  them,  and  near 
to  the  fence,  will  serve  to  insure  its  safety  from  cold. 

M.  Irish  and  Swedish  junipers  near  the  fence. 

N.  The  dwarf  white-pine,  P.  strobus  compacta , four  feet  from  the 
fence ; and  behind,  on  each  side,  small  rhododendrons.  Four 
feet  above  the  pine,  near  the  fence,  plant  a common  hem- 
lock, and  when  it  is  large  enough  to  form  a back-ground  for 
the  dwarf  pine — say  from  eight  to  ten  feet  high — keep  it  well 
clipped  back  to  prevent  it  from  spreading  over  the  dwarfs,  and 
taking  up  too  much  of  the  lawn. 

O.  O.  Round  beds  for  verbenas  or  other  creeping  flowers  of  con- 

stant brilliancy. 


A ND  G R 0 UNB S . 


161 


P.  Bed  for  favorite  fragrant  annuals  or  low  shrubs. 

Q (by  the  side  of  the  kitchen).  Bed  for  flowering-vines  to  train  on 
the  house,  or,  if  the  exposure  be  southerly,  or  southeasterly, 
some  good  variety  of  grape-vine.  Whichever  side  of  the  rear 
part  of  the  house  has  the  proper  exposure  to  ripen  grapes 
well,  cannot  be  more  pleasingly  covered  than  with  neatly 
kept  grape-vines  ; which  should  not  be  fastened  directly  to 
the  house,  but  on  horizontal  slats  from  six  inches  to  a foot 
from  the  house ; and  these  should  be  so  strongly  put  up 
that  they  may  be  used  instead  of  a ladder  to  stand  upon  to 
trim  the  vines  and  gather  the  fruit. 

R.  Rhododendrons. 

S.  Bed  of  cannas,  or  assorted  smaller  plants  with  brilliant  leaves 
of  various  colors. 

T.  U,  V,  X,  Z.  A bed  of  rhododendrons.  , 

W,  W,  W.  May  be  common  deciduous  shrubs  of  any  favorite  full- 
foliaged  sort. 

Y.  Rhododendrons  and  azalias. 

Opposite  the  corner  of  the  veranda  where  fuschias  are  indi- 
cated, the  space  should  be  filled  between  the  Irish  juniper  and 
the  fence  with  the  golden  arbor-vitse  and  the  Podocarpus  japonica, 
planted  side  by  side. 

The  foregoing  list  for  planting  is  made  on  the  assumption  that 
the  owner  is,  or  desires  to  be,  an  amateur  in  the  choicest  varieties 
of  small  evergreens,  as  well  as  in  flowers,  and  willing  to  watch 
with  patience  their  slow  development ; for  there  is  no  doubt  that 
with  deciduous  shrubs  a showy  growth  of  considerable  beauty  can 
be  secured  in  much  less  time.  Yet  the  type  of  embellishment 
made  with  such  a collection  of  evergreens  as  have  been  named  for 
this  place,  is  so  much  rarer,  and  has  so  greatly  the  advantage  in 
its  autumn,  winter,  and  spring  beauty,  that  we  would  have  little 
hesitation  in  adopting  it. 

For  the  benefit,  however,  of  those  who  wish  a quicker  display 
of  verdure  in  return  for  their  expense  and  labor  in  planting,  wc 
subjoin  an  essentially  different  list  of  trees  and  shrubs  for  the 
same  plan,  viz. : 


162 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


A,  A.  Two  Scamston  elms  (planted  two  feet  from  fence  and  walk) 

grafted  on  straight  stocks  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  to  form 
a tabular  topped  arch  over  the  gateway,  by  interweaving  the 
side  branches  which  are  nearest  to  each  other.  These  grow 
so  rapidly  that  all  the  space  within  ten  feet  from  the  centre 
of  the  gate  will  in  six  years  be  deeply  shaded  by  them,  so 
that  only  those  plants  which  are  known  to  flourish  in  deep 
shade  should  be  planted  near  the  gate.  Among  these  the 
English  ivy  may  occupy  the  same  place  in  the  corner  as 
before. 

B.  May  be  the  Cephalotaxus  fortunii  mascula , or  purple  magnolia. 

C,  C (nearest  the  gate).  Daphne  cneorum . C,  C (near  the  ve- 

randa). Should  be  Irish  juniper  as  in  the  first  plan,  and  the 
space  marked  fnschias  to  be  filled  as  before  recommended  ; 
C on  left-hand  front  of  lot  to  be  an  Irish  or  Swedish 
juniper. 

D.  Box-wood,  spurge  laurel,  hypericum,  purple  magnolia,  or 
rhododendrons. 

E (middle  group).  Andromeda  arborea , or,  south  of  Philadelphia, 
the  Indian  catalpa,  C.  himalayensis. 

F,  F.  Spirea  reevesii  flore  plena  and  Spirea  fortunii  alba.  G (of 
same  group).  Spirea  Van  Houtti.  In  the  spaces  between  G 
and  F the  Dcutzia  gracilis  and  the  Andromeda  floribunda  may 
be  planted  within  two  feet  of  the  stem  of  the  Andromeda 
arborea. 

H (in  left-hand  corner).  Two  deutzias,  the  white  and  red,  D. 
crenata  alba  and  D.  crenata  1'ubra  flore  plena , planted  side  by 
side.  The  other  H’s  to  be  hemlocks  as  in  the  other  plan. 

I.  I,  I,  I.  Tree-box  on  left  of  walk,  Siberian  arbor-vitae  on  the 

right. 

J.  Deutzia  gracilis. 

K.  Purple  berberry  two  feet  from  fence.  Above  it,  the  same  dis- 

tance from  the  fence,  the  variegated-leaved  althea. 

L.  Common  red  Tartarian  honeysuckle,  four  feet  from  fence. 

Behind  it,  next  to  the  fence,  the  spurge  laurel,  Daphne 
laureola. 

M.  Two  Swedish  junipers  one  foot  from  fence. 


A ND  G R 0 UND  S. 


163 


N.  Weigela  rosea  three  feet  from  fence.  Close  to  fence,  on  each 
side  of  it,  the  English  ivy. 

O.  Beds  for  creeping  flowers  as  in  previous  plan. 

P.  Bed  for  annuals  or  low  shrubs. 

Q.  Same  as  in  former  list. 

R.  A bed  of  salvias,  to  fill  in  between  the  hemlocks. 

S.  Cannas,  or  some  lower  bedding  annuals. 

T.  The  lilac,  Rothmagensis  rubra. 

U.  Gordon’s  flowering  currant. 

V.  Two  dwarf  rhododendrons,  roseum  elegans  and  album  can- 

didissima , and  behind  them  towards  the  grape  trellis  and  next 
tbfe  fence,  the  taller  rhododendrons,  grandiflorum  and  album 
elegans.  These  will  fill  as  near  to  the  trellis  as  anything 
should  be  planted. 

X.  Rhododendrons,  grandiflorum  and  candidissima  planted  to- 
gether. 

Shrubs  shown  at  the  house-corners  should  be  selected  from 
those  whose  branches  droop  toward  the  ground,  well  covered  with 
foliage,  and  whose  flowers  are  fragrant ; such  as  the  common 
syringa,  bush  honeysuckles,  jasmines,  wild  roses,  purple  magnolia, 
etc.,  etc. ; the  beauty  and  abundance  of  the  foliage  throughout  the 
season  being  of  more  importance  than  the  blossoms.  But  there 
are  shrubs  which  combine  nearly  every  merit  of  foliage,  bloom, 
and  fragrance,  and  these  are  often  the  common  sorts  best  known. 

It  is  not  practicable  to  name  in  detail  everything  which  may  be 
planted  on  a lot  of  this  size,  and  the  two  lists  just  given  will  form  a 
ground-work  into  which  may  be  interwoven  a great  variety  of  quite 
small  shrubs  without  breaking  the  arrangement  intended. 

In  whatever  way  this  place  is  planted,  the  area  in  lawn  is  so 
narrow  that  it  can  only  be  made  to  look  well  by  the  nicest 
keeping. 


164 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


Plate  VIII. 

A simple  Plan  for  a Corner  Lot  one  hundred  by  one  hundred  and 
seventy  feet , with  Stable  and  Carriage-house  accommodations. 

By  referring  to  Plates  IX  and  XII,  and  comparing  them  with 
the  one  now  under  consideration,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a 
similarity  in  the  forms  and  sizes  of  the  lots  and  the  house-plans. 
A comparison  of  their  differences  will  be  interesting.  Plates  VIII 
and  IX  represent  corner  lots  ioo  x 170  feet,  having  stable  and 
carriage-house  accommodations,  while  Plate  XII  is  an  in-lot 
100  x 160  feet,  without  those  luxuries,  but  with  convenience  for 
keeping  a cow.  Plan  VIII  is  designed  to  illustrate  the  utmost 
simplicity  of  style,  requiring  the  minimum  of  trouble  and  expense 
in  its  maintenance.  In  both  plans  the  nearest  part  of  the  house 
stands  thirty  feet  from  the  side  street,  and  eighty-two  feet  from 
the  street  upon  which  the  bay-windows  look  out.  On  this  plan 
the  short  straight  walk  from  the  side  street  to  the  veranda  is 
the  only  one  that  requires  to  be  carefully  made,  and  is  but 
twenty-seven  feet  in  length  from  the  street  to  the  steps  ; while  on 
Plate  IX  there  is  an  entrance  from  both  streets,  connected  by  a 
curving  walk  with  the  main  house  entrance,  and  other  walks  to  the 
kitchen  entrances  and  carriage-house.  This  difference  in  the  walks 
is  suggestive  of  the  greater  embellishment  of  the  latter  plan  in  all 
other  respects,  and,  with  its  vases,  flower-beds,  and  more  numerous 
groups  of  shrubbery,  indicates  the  necessity  for  the  constant  services 
of  a gardener.  Plan  VIII,  on  the  other  hand,  with  its  plain  lawn, 
and  groups  of  trees  which  require  but  little  care,  and  its  few  plain 
flower-beds,  may  easily  be  taken  care  of  by  any  industrious  pro- 
prietor,  before  and  after  the  hours  devoted  to  town  business — * 
especially  if  the  wife  will  assume  the  care  of  the  flowers — and  if 
the  lawn  is  in  high  condition,  and  the  trees  are  kept  growing  lux- 
uriantly, the  simplicity  of  the  planting  will  not  result  in  any  lack 
of  that  air  of  elegance  which  most  persons  desire  to  have  theii 
places  express ; for  it  is  not  so  much  costliness  and  elaborateness 
that  challenges  the  admiration  of  cultivated  people  as  the  uncon- 


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A ND  G R 0 UND  S . 


1G5 


scions  grace  with  which  a plain  dress  may  be  worn,  so  as  to  appear 
elegant  notwithstanding  its  simplicity.  It  will  be  observed  that 
there  is  no  vegetable  garden  on  either  plan,  but  a good  number  of 
cherry,  pear,  and  other  fruit  trees,  as  well  as  an  abundance  of 
grapes,  currants,  raspberries,  and  strawberries  are  provided  for. 
Yet  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  carriage-house,  the  ground  in  culti- 
vation under  the  trees  may  serve  to  produce  a small  quantity  of 
those  low  vegetables  which  take  but  little  room,  and  are  wanted  in 
small  quantities  only. 

Supposing  the  walks  to  be  laid  out  as  shown  on  the  plan,  the 
first  things  to  be  planted  are  the  fruit  trees.  Three  cherry  trees — 
say  the  mayduke,  black  tartarian,  and  late-duke  ; seven  pear  trees 
(not  dwarfs) — say  one  Madeleine,  one  Dearborn’s  seedling,  one 
Bloodgood,  two  Seckels,  and  two  JBartletts  ; two  peach  trees,  the 
George  the  Fourth  or  Haine’s  early,  and  Crawford’s  early  • and 
a few  orange-quinces  near  the  stable,  are  all  the  fruit  trees  there  is 
room  for.  The  sides  of  the  carriage-house  and  stable  will  afford 
the  best  of  places  for  the  growth  of  grapes ; the  vines,  however, 
should  not  be  fastened  directly  to  the  wall,  but  on  a trellis  six 
inches  or  a foot  from  it,  to  allow  a circulation  of  air  through  the 
foliage.  Besides  these,  a few  vines  may  be  grown  to  advantage  on 
a trellis  back  of  the  kitchen,  and  on  a circular  trellis  around  the 
gravelled  space  in  front  of  the  carriage-house,*  and  also  on  the 
back  fence,  marked  raspberry  border,  if  preferred.  Currant  bushes 
and  raspberries  do  well  in  partially  shaded  situations,  while  grape 
vines  need  the  most  sunny  exposure.  The  places  for  one  or  the 
other  must  therefore  be  chosen  with  reference  to  the  light  and 
shade  adjacent  to  buildings,  fences,  and  trees. 

The  fruit  trees  being  disposed  of,  let  us  turn  to  the  lawn- 
ground.  The  front  gate  recedes  from  the  street  four  feet,  forming 
a bay  from  the  side-walk.  On  the  left,  as  one  enters,  the  view  is 
all  open  across  the  lawn.  On  the  right  of  the  gate,  along  the 
fence,  there  is  a heavy  mass  of  shrubbery,  to  be  composed  of  lilacs, 
honeysuckles,  weigelas,  or  any  of  the  thrifty  common  shrubs  which 


* The  carriage  turn-way  is  represented  a little  broader  than  it  need  be.  There  should  be  ten 
feet  space  between  it  and  the  back  fence  to  make  room  for  the  trellis  for  grapes. 


L66 


FLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


do  not  grow  bare  of  leaves  at  the  bottom.  Or,  if  an  evergreen 
screen  is  preferred  to  these  blossoming  shrubs,  the  border  may  be 
planted  irregularly  with  the  American  and  Siberian  arbor-vitaes. 
On  the  left,  next  to  the  fence,  and  close  against  it,  we  would  plant 
English  ivy,  tree-box,  periwinkle,  or  myrtle  for  the  first  ten  feet, 
and  hardy  dwarf  arbor-vitaes,  hemlocks,  and  yews  on  the  next  ten  ' 
feet.  On  the  right  of  the  walk,  and  two  feet  from  it,  is  a straight 
bed  for  annual  and  bulbous  flowers,  which  is  backed  by  a bed  of 
shrubbery  running  parallel  with  the  walk,  designed  to  shut  from 
view  the  kitchen  drying-yard,  under  the  cherry  and  pear  trees. 
This  screen  should  be  composed  entirely  of  evergreens  which  can 
be  kept  within  seven  feet  in  height.  In  the  front,  next  to  the 
flower-bed,  may  be  a collection,  in  a row,  of  the  finest  very  small 
dwarfs,  of  as  many  species  as  tl)e  owner  desires  to  procure,  backed 
by  a dense  mass  of  arbor-vitaes  and  hardy  yews  intermingled.  The 
row  of  dwarf  evergreens  should  in  time  occupy  the  space  which  is 
marked  as  a bed  for  annuals,  while  the  former  are  too  small  to 
fill  it.  The  masses  of  shrubs  shown  against  the  house  may  be  of 
common  sorts  which  are  favorites  with  the  proprietor  or  his  family, 
and  that  do  not  exceed  seven  feet  in  height.  On  the  left  of  the 
walk  the  flower-beds  i,  2,  and  3 may  be  filled,  each,  with  one 
species  of  low  flowers  not  exceeding  nine  inches  in  height,  so  as  to 
make  brilliant  contrasts  of  colors.  Beds  4 and  6 may  be  filled 
with  bulbous  flowers  in  the  spring,  and  later,  with  geraniums, 
lantanas,  or  salvias.  Bed  5 admits  of  some  skill  in  arrangement. 

In  its  centre,  next  to  the  house,  we  would  try  the  Japanese  striped 
maize ; next  to  it  a half  circle  of  salvias  ; outside  of  these  a half 
circle  of  mountain-of-snow  geranium  ; next,  a circle  of  Colleus  ver- 
schafelti , and,  next  the  grassy  margin,  the  Mrs.  Pollock  geranium. 
Another  season  the  same  bed  might  be  splendid  with  cannas  alone, 
as  follows  : for  the  centre,  one  plant  of  the  blood-red  canna,  C.  san- 
guinea  chatei,  six  feet  high  ; one  foot  from  it,  three  plants  of  the  C. 
sellowi , four  to  five  feet  high  ; next,  a circle  of  the  C.  flaccida , three 
feet ; and  for  the  outer  circle  the  C.  comparta  elegantissima , two  feet 
high,  alternated  with  the  C.  augustifolia  liana  pallida.  If  the  occu- 
pant of  the  house  does  not  wish  to  obtain  plants  from  the  green- 
house to  stock  these  beds,  they  may  be  cheaply  and  prettily  filled 


A ND  GEO  UND  S. 


167 


by  annuals  graded  in  size  in  the  same  manner  as  above  indicated 
for  a bed  of  cannas.  The  circular  border  of  cultivated  ground  be- 
tween the  dining-room  bay-window  and  the  hemlock  border  may 
also  be  filled  with  annuals,  graded  from  those  that  grow  only  a few 
inches  high  next  the  grass,  to  an  outer  circle  made  with  flowering 
plants  from  four  to  six  feet  high.  Bed  7 is  intended  for  an  assort- 
ment of  geraniums.  At  8 is  a good  place  for  the  pendulous  silver-  ^ 
fir ; and  at  9 for  Sargent’s  hemlock,  Abies  canadensis  i?iverta , trained 
to  a straight  stick,  and  kept  small  by  pruning. 

On  a line  with  the  side-walls  of  the  house,  and  twenty  feet  in 
front,  two  sycamore  maples  are  designated.  We  do  not  intend  to 
recommend  this  variety  as  any  better  or  more  beautiful  than  the 
sugar,  red-bud,  or  Norway  maples,  or  than  the  horse-chestnut,  but 
it  represents  a type  of  trees  with  formal  outlines,  and  rich  masses 
of  foliage,  which  are  appropriate  for  such  places  ; — unless  the  style 
of  the  house  is  picturesque  ; in  which  case  elms,  birches,  and  other 
loose  growing  trees  would  be  more  appropriate.  The  centre  group 
of  evergreens  is  mostly  composed  of  common  and  well-known 
sorts,  the  points  being  representations  of  the  arbor-vitae  family, 
and  the  centre  of  the  taller  hemlocks.  Lawson’s  cypress  is  still  a 
rare  tree,  and  its  hardiness  is  doubtful  north  of  Philadelphia. 
Where  it  may  not  be  safely  used,  a full-foliaged  specimen  of  the 
Norway  spruce  may  be  substituted.  South  of  New  York,  near 
the-  sea-coast,  we  would  also  substitute  the  Glypto-strobus  sinensis 
pendula  for  the  arbor-vitae  plicata.  While  these  trees  are  small 
they  will  appear  insignificant  in  so  large  a bed  ; but  we  advise  no 
one  to  trust  himself  to  plant  trees  more  thickly  than  they  should 
eventually  grow,  on  the  plea  that  when  they  crowd  each  other  a 
part  may  be  removed ; for  however  sound  the  theory,  it  is  rarely 
carried  out  in  practice.  Besides,  no  trees  are  so  beautiful  as  those 
which  have  an  unchecked  expansion  from  the  beginning  ; and  this 
is  especially  the  case  with  evergreens,  some  of  which  never  recover 
from  the  malformations  produced  by  being  crowded  during  the 
first  ten  or  fifteen  years  of  their  growth.  Therefore,  let  the  open 
spaces  between  the  permanent  trees,  in  the  beds  which  are  out- 
lined for  cultivation,  be  filled  during  their  minority  with  showy 
annuals  or  bedding  plants  : — taking  care  not  to  plant  so  near  to 


168 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


the  young  trees  as  to  smother  or  weaken  them  by  the  luxuriant 
growth  of  the  former. 

The  evergreen  group  on  the  right  is  intended  to  be  made-up 
entirely  of  firs — hemlocks,  Norway  and  black  spruces — mixed  in- 
discriminately, to  show  as  a mass,  and  not  as  single  specimens. 
If  the  proprietor  has  a desire  for  rarities  in  this  family,  they  can 
* be  substituted. 

The  group  on  the  left,  as  its  symbols  show,  is  intended  to  be 
entirely  of  pines.  In  the  centre,  plant  a white  pine  and  a Bhotan 
pine  side  by  side  and  close  together,  the  former  on  the  south  side 
of  the  latter.  Fifteen  feet  back  of  them  put  in  an  Austrian  pine  ; 
towards  the  front  the  cembran  pine  * to  the  extreme  right,  the 
dwarf  white  pine,  P.  strobus  compacta , and  in  the  spaces  between 
fill  with  the  varieties  of  the  mugho  or  mountain  pine,  or  with 
rhododendrons. 

The  deciduous  group  lightly  outlined  near  the  right  hand 
corner  explains  itself.  If  thriftily  grown,  the  trees  there  marked 
should  make  a beautiful  group  in  summer,  and  a brilliant  one  in 
autumn. 

The  pair  of  trees  near  the  left-hand  corner  we  would  have  the 
Kolreuteria  paniculata. 

The  hemlock  border  on  the  left,  opposite  the  dining-room  bay- 
window,  is  intended  to  form  a close  screen,  to  grow  naturally  till 
the  trees  occupy  from  seven  to  ten  feet  in  width  from  the  fence, 
when  they  are  to  be  kept  within  bounds  by  pruning.  They 
should  be  planted  about  two  feet  apart. 


Plate  IX. 

Plan  for  a Comer  Lot  ioo  x 170  feet,  planted  in  a more  elaborate 
style  than  the  preceding  plan. 

In  describing  the  preceding  plate,  allusion  was  made  to  the 
greater  expensiveness  of  this  plan.  Premising,  therefore,  that 
it  is  intended  for  a person  who  loves  his  trees  and  plants,  and 
who  can  afford  to  keep  a gardener  in  constant  employ,  we  will 


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A ND  G R O UND  S. 


169 


briefly  describe  those  features  of  the  place  which  need  expla- 
nation. 

The  front  entrance  of  the  place  (the  one  at  the  bottom  of  the 
page  on  the  plate)  is  designed  to  have  an  elm  tree  arch  over  it, 
similar  to  that  shown  by  Fig.  40  in  Chapter  XIV.  The  group  A, 
on  the  right  near  the  gate,  may  be  entirely  composed  of  rhodo- 
dendrons. 

The  group  E is  composed  of  a pair  of  weeping  silver-firs 
(nearest  the  gate),  the  mugho  pine  on  the  left,  and  the  dwarf 
white  pine,  P.  compacta , farthest  from  the  gate. 

Group  B,  on  the  right,  will  shade  the  walk  with  the  low  and 
broadly  spreading  top  of  the  Kolreuteria  paniculata  at  its  point, 
behind  which  may  be  another  group  of  rhododendrons,  and  close 
to  the  fence  a compact  border  of  hemlocks,  which  must  be  allowed 
to  spread  well  upon  the  ground,  and  mingle  their  boughs  with  the 
rhododendrons,  but  not  to  exceed  eight  or  ten  feet  in  height. 

The  group  C,  with  a sugar  maple  (in  the  place  of  which  a pair  of 
Magnolia  machrophyllas , planted  close  together,  might  be  substituted 
with  good  effect)  in  front  of  it,  is  to  be  composed  of  a circle  of 
choice  dwarf  evergreens  on  the  side  next  the  house,  backed  by  a 
hemlock  border  along  the  fence,  as  described  for  the  preceding 
group. 

From  the  following  list  a choice  of  dwarf  evergreen  trees 
or  shrubs  can  be  made  : Pinus  strobus  compacta,  Pin  us  stro- 
bus  pumila,  Pinus  sylvestris  pumila , Pinus  mughus , Picea  pec - 
tinata  compacta , Picea  pectinata  pendula,  Picea  hudsonica , Abies 
nigra  pumila , Abies  nigra  pendula,  Abies  excelsa  gregoriana,  Abies 
excels  a invert  a , Abies  e.  conica,  Abies  canadensis  inverta,  Abies 
canadensis  parsoni,  Andromeda  floribunda , tree-box,  Buxus  ar- 
borea,  Hypericu?n  kalmia?ium  and  H.  prolificum , the  kalmias, 
the  creeping  junipers  Juniper  us  repens,  Juniper  us  repanda  densa, 
J.  suecica , J.  suecica  nana,  J.  hibernica,  J.  oblonga  petidula , 
J'.  speer oides,  Thuja  aurea,  Thuja  occidentalis  compacta,  Taxus 
baccata  aurea,  Taxus  erecta,  Taxus  bacCtita  elegantissima,  Cepha- 
lotaxus  fortunii  mascula , Taxus  or  Podocarpus  japonica,  the  rho- 
dodendrons, and  the  mahonias.  For  the  sizes  and  character- 
istics of  all  these,  we  must  refer  the  reader  to  the  descriptions  ol 


170 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


evergreen  trees  in  Part  II.  By  selecting  the  smallest  evergreens 
for  the  front  of  the  group,  and  placing  the  larger  ones  behind,  even 
a small  bed  like  this  will  accommodate  a large  number  of  speci- 
mens. The  side  towards  the  veranda  is  laid  out  in  a formal 
circle  for  convenience  in  first  laying  it  out,  but  as  the  planting 
progresses,  and  as  it  becomes  desirable  to  add  one  small  thing 
after  another  to  the  group,  this,  as  well  as  some  of  the  other 
groups,  may  be  enlarged  in  the  manner  shown  by  the  dotted  lines ; 
or,  it  can  be  laid  out  in  that  manner  at  first,  if  the  list  of  small 
choice  evergreens  to  be  purchased  is  large  enough  to  fill  it.  Most 
of  the  finer  dwarf  evergreens  are  rare  and  costly  compared  with 
common  sorts,  so  that  the  lists  must  be  made  with  prudence,  in 
order  that  these,  together  with  other  more  indispensable  purchases 
from  the  nurseries,  shall  not  amount  to  so  large  a sum  as  to  sur- 
prise and  discourage  the  planter.  Where  the  resources  of  the 
proprietor  will  not  permit  him  to  procure  at  once  everything  that 
can  be  advantageously  used  on  the  place,  it  is  best  to  plant,  the 
first  season,  all  the  larger  (which  are  usually  the  commoner  and 
cheaper)  trees  and  shrubs,  keeping  the  beds  filled  with  showy 
annuals,  while  acquiring,  year  by  year,  choice  additional  collections 
of  permanencies.  But  it  is  quite  essential  to  the  formation  of 
tasteful  grounds  that  all  the  large  permanent  trees  and  shrubs  be 
placed  properly  in  the  beginning,  so  that  whatever  is  afterwards 
added  will  be  of  such  subsidiary  character  as  will  group  with  and 
around  the  formef. 

The  group  D,  from  the  gate  to  the  pear  tree,  should  be  com- 
posed of  a mass  of  low  evergreen  trees  or  shrubs  planted  about  six 
feet  from  the  walk ; and  from  the  foot-walk  gate  to  the  carriage 
gate  with  a hedge  of  Siberia  arbor-vitae  planted  two  feet  from  the 
fence.  Between  this  hedge  and  the  pear  tree,  at  the  intersection 
of  the  walks,  there  will  be  room  enough  for  the  following : mugho 
pine  ( P \ mughus ),  the  dwarf  white  pine  ( P \ s.  compacta),  the  Ceph- 
alotaxus  foriunii  mascula , the  conical  yew  ( Taxus  erecta),  the 
golden  yew  ( Taxus  aurea),  the  golden  arbor-vitae  ( Thuja  aurea ), 
Sargent’s  hemlock  ( Abies  canadensis  invertd),  and  the  weeping 
juniper  (y.  oblonga  pendula).  By  alternating  the  dark  and  light 
colored  foliage  of  these  evergreen  shrubs,  placing  the  dark  ones 


A ND  G R 0 UN D S. 


171 


farther  from  the  walk  than  the  light  ones,  they  will  form  an  in- 
teresting border,  and  in  time  a dense  screen. 

Fifteen  feet  from  the  end  of  the  veranda  towards  the  front 
street,  and  twelve  feet  from  the  walk,  a pine  tree  is  indicated. 
This  may  be  either  the  common  white  pine,  or  the  more  beautiful 
Bhotan  pine,  if  one  is  willing  to  risk  the  permanence  of  the  latter ; 
— unless  the  soil  of  the  locality  is  such  that  neither  of  these  pines 
will  develop  its  beauty — in  which  case  we  would  substitute  either 
Nordmanns  fir  (. Picea  nordmaniana),  or  some  deciduous  tree  which 
branches  low.  This  tree  is  placed  for  the  purpose  of  breaking 
the  view  from  the  street  to  the  veranda,  so  that  persons  sitting  in 
the  latter  will  have  a partial  privacy  from  the  street  passers.  If 
the  soil  is  deeply  fertile,  and  not  too  dry,  the  Magnolia  sonlatigeana 
may  be  substituted  for  the  pine,  in  climates  not  more  severe  than 
that  of  New  York  city ; while  further  north  the  double  white-flower- 
ing horse-chestnut,  allowed  to  branch  low,  is  admirably  adapted  to 
the  position.  The  white  birch,  in  front  of  the  centre  line  of  the 
house,  should  be  the  cut-leaved  weeping  variety,  which  is  too 
beautiful  and  appropriate  to  the  place  to  allow  anything  else  to  be 
substituted  for  it.  The  tree  in  front  of  the  other  corner  of  the 
house,  in  the  climate  just  mentioned,  may  be  the  Magnolia 
madirophylla ; in  the  northern  States,  any  one  of  the  following : 
the  red-flowering,  or  double  white-flowering  horse-chestnut,  purple- 
leaved beech,  grape-leaved  linden,  the  sugar,  red-bud,  Norway  or 
sycamore  maple  (especially  the  gold-leaved  variety  of  the  latter), 
the  oak-leaved  mountain  ash,  or  the  tulip  tree.  While  the  tree  is 
young  a group  of  shrubs  may  be  planted  on  an  irregular  line  with 
the  side  of  the  house,  so  that  the  tree  will  form  its  centre,  as  shown 
on  the  plan.  The  position  of  two  magnolias  on  the  left  may  be 
determined  by  reference  to  the  scale.  In  a region  too  cold,  or  a 
soil  too  thin  or  dry  for  the  magnolias,  we  would  substitute  a 
group  of  three  beeches — the  weeping  beech  in  the  centre,  the  cut- 
leaved nearest  the  house,  and  the  purple-leaved  nearest  the  street. 
It  will  be  observed  that  this  side  of  the  lot  connects  quite  openly 
with  the  adjoining  lot — having  few  trees  or  shrubs  on  the  margin. 
If  there  is  no  division  fence,  or  only  a light  and  nearly  invisible 
one,  and  that  lot  is  pleasingly  improved,  the  views  across  it  from 


1 TZ  PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 

the  parlor  and  dining-room  windows  will  exhibit  a generous  expan- 
sion of  lawn  which  it  is  desirable  to  secure ; and  it  will  probably 
include  in  the  view  from  them  some  embellishments  which  this 
place  has  not.  If,  however,,  there  is  anything  unsightly  in  the 
neighbor  lot,  or  any  unfriendly  disposition  on  the  part  of  its 
owner  that' induces  him  to  ignore  the  advantage  of  mutual  views 
over  each  other’s  lawns,  and  to  fence  or  plant  to  prevent  it,  that 
side  may  then  be  filled  with  masses  of  shrubbery  in  a manner 
similar  to  that  shown  on  the  left  of  Plate  IV. 

The  group  G,  at  the  left,  may  be  planted  from  the  street  to  the 
pine  with  the  strong  growing  old  shrubs — lilacs,  weigelas,  honey- 
suckles, syringas,  deutzias,  etc.,  etc.  Under,  or  rather  near,  the 
white  or  Austrian  pine  (the  former  pine  if  the  soil  is  sandy,  the 
latter  if  it  is  clayey),  plant  almost  any  of  the  yews,  the  Sargent 
hemlock,  the  Hypericum  kalmianum  and  H.  prolificum , the  tree- 
box  variety  angustifolia , and  the  variegated-leaved  elder,  all  of 
which  flourish  in  the  shade  of  other  trees.  At  the  upper  extreme 
of  the  group  plant  the  pendulous  Norway  spruce,  Abies  excelsci 
inverta ; eight  feet  behind  it  the  common  Norway  spruce,  and 
between  this  and  the  pine  the  Chinese  cypress,  Glypto-strobus 
sinensis  pcndula , and  some  of  the  evergreen  shrubs  just  named. 

The  belt  of  hemlocks  against  the  fence,  opposite  the  dining- 
room  bay-window,  is  to  be  terminated  at  the  front  by  a slender 
weeping  silver-fir,  Picea  pectinata  pendula.  The  trees  at  the  two 
corners  of  the  dining-room  bay  are  intended  for  Irish  junipers, 
or  the  weeping  juniper,  y.  oblonga pendula . Other  trees  and  shrubs 
are  designated  on  the  plan,  and  need  no  explanation. 

There  are  many  small  flower-beds  on  the  plan,  and  one  quite 
large  rose-bed  in  the  middle  of  the  front  at  F.  The  latter  is  to 
have  an  elegant  rose-pillar,  or  a substantial  trellis  in  the  centre, 
with  groups  of  roses  of  varieties  graded  to  diminish  in  size  to  the 
points.  Or,  if  preferred,  this  may  be  a group  of  evergreens  with 
the  slender  weeping  silver-fir  for  a centre,  and  lower  trees  and 
dwarfs  around  it,  so  as  to  form  the  same  figure  of  a cross.  This 
will,  in  time,  be  more  beautiful  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the 
year  than  the  rose-bed,  but  the  latter  can  be  made  far  more 
brilliant  in  summer.  Yet  the  rude,  briary  appearance  of  rose- 


E 


A ND  G R 0 U N D S. 


173 


bushes,  after  the  leaves  fall,  is  a serious  objection  to  them  when 
compared  with  the  cheerful  elegance  of  a well-formed  evergreen 
group  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  The  other  flower-beds  are 
small,  and  of  the  simplest  forms.  Beds  i,  i,  i,  i should  be  filled 
in  spring  with  bulbous  flowers,  and  later  with  verbenas,  portulaccas, 
Phlox  drummondi , escholtzias,  or  similar  low  plants.  Beds  2,  2 may 
have  three ' geraniums  in  each,  the  largest  variety  in  the  middle. 
Beds  3 and  5,  in  the  wall-corners,  should  have  some  little  evergreen 
vines,  say  English  or  Irish  ivies,  planted  in  the  extreme  corner, 
with  heliotrope  and  mignonette  around  them.  Bed  4 may  be 
planted  as  suggested  in  the  description  of  Plate  VIII.  Beds 
6,  6,  6,  6 may  be  filled  with  four  varieties  of  cannas  of  about  equal 
height ; 7,  7,  and  9 with  low  bulbs  in  spring,  and  later  with  gladiolii 
in  the  centre  and  petunias  or  other  flowers  of  similarly  brilliant 
and  abundant  bloom,  around  them.  Bed  8 to  have  a mountain-of- 
snow  geranium,  or  a Wigandia  caracasana  in  the  centre,  and  three 
robust  plants  of  Colleus  verschafelti  on  the  points  ; 10  is  a mass  of 
cannas  ; 1 1 may  be  a bed  of  hollyhocks,  with  a tall  sort  in  the 
centre,  and  low  varieties  around  it.  We  have  merely  suggested  the 
flowers  for  the  various  beds  as  a starting-point  for  persons  unfa- 
miliar with  flowers.  Most  intelligent  ladies,  as  well  as  gardeners, 
are  more  familiar  with  flower  culture  than  with  any  other  garden- 
ing art,  and  will  be  able  to  vary  the  beds  from  year  to  year,  and  to 
improve  on  the  selections  here  given.  They  will  also  learn  by 
experiment,  better  than  they  can  be  told,  the  best  materials  to 
use  in  embellishing  with  flowers  and  wreathing  leaves,  the  vases 
near  the  entrance  steps. 


Plate  X. 

A Simple  Plan  for  Planting  an  Interior  Lot  two  hundred  feet  front 
and  three  hundred  feet  deep. 

This  plan  represents  a large  mansion  on  an  in-lot  two  hundred 
feet  front  by  three  hundred  feet  deep.  Plate  XI  is  the  same  house 
and  lot  treated  more  elaborately.  The  same  differences,  carried 
out  on  a larger  scale,  may  be  observed  between  these  two  plans  of 


174 


PLANS  OF  liESIDENCES 


grounds,  as  between  those  of  Plates  VIII  and  IX  ; the  one  here 
described  having  a less  extent  of  drive,  walks,  and  ornamental 
plantations  than  the  plan  shown  by  Plate  XI.  All  the  surround- 
ings are  supposed  to  be  the  same,  and  the  different  modes  of  laying 
out  the  grounds  are  meant  to  represent  simply  the  different  tastes 
or  means  of  occupants.  Here  the  proprietor  is  supposed  to  desire 
grounds  of  the  most  simple  character,  which  will  be  at  the  same 
time  suitable  to  the  mansion  and  the  lot.  The  entrance  road, 
turnway,  and  drive  to  the  stable  are  the  most  direct  and  simple 
that  can  be  made  ; and  they  constitute  also  the  only  entrance 
walks  to  the  house.  Ninety  feet  of  the  rear  of  the  lot  is  devoted 
to  utilities,  viz. : to  carriage-house  conveniences,  to  a kitchen- 
garden,  and  an  orchard  ; the  ground  in  the  latter  being  also  de- 
voted to  culture  for  small  fruits  and  vegetables  until  the  fruit  trees 
are  large  enough  to  shadow  the  whole  ground.  The  front  two 
hundred  and  ten  feet,  is  all  devoted  to  the  house  and  its  ground 
embellishments.  The  drive  is  ten  feet  in  width  ; the  circle  around 
which  it  turns  is  thirty  feet  in  diameter.  An  avenue  of  three  elm 
trees  on  each  side  of  the  entrance-drive  are  its  only  decorations, 
though  the  street-trees  in  a line  with  them  will  give  it  the  appear- 
ance of  an  avenue  of  eight  instead  of  six  trees.  In  the  centre  of 
the  circle  a pine  tree  is  designated — to  be  a white  pine  if  the  soil 
is  sandy,  otherwise  an  Austrian.  These  trees  are  chosen  because 
they  are  of  rapid  and  healthy  growth,  and  cast  their  lower  branches 
as  they  grow  large,  so  that  the  lawn  beneath  them,  while  it  is 
deeply  shadowed,  is  not  destroyed,  and  the  view  under  the 
branches  is  unobstructed.  This  will  be  rather  an  objection  than 
a merit  with  those  persons  who  desire  the  main  entrance  to  be 
quite  secluded  and  concealed  from  view.  We  would  recommend 
for  them  that  the  fircle  be  planted  with  a group  of  firs,  whose 
branches  rest  upon  the  ground  during  all  stages  of  their  growth, 
and  would  eventually  cover  the  whole  circle  with  an  impene- 
trable mass  of  foliage.  A single  Norway  spruce  planted  in 
the  centre  will  do  this.  So,  probably,  would  a Nordmanns  fir, 
Picca  nordmaniana.  While  these  trees  are  small,  the  borders  of 
the  circle  (supposing  it  to  be  desirable  to  shut  out  the  view  of  the 
approach  road  from  the  porch)  may  be  planted,  four  feet  from  the 


A NI)  G R 0 UNI)  S. 


175 


road,  with  quick  growing  deciduous  shrubs,  such  as  bush  honey 
suckles,  lilacs,  weigelas,  deutzias,  etc.,  which  can  be  removed  when 
the  centre  tree  begins  to  crowd  them.  Or,  with  one  of  the  same 
large  evergreens  in  the  centre,  a gardenesque  border  may  be 
formed  around  the  circle  with  single  specimens  of  rare  dwarf 
evergreens,  planted  four  feet  from  the  road.  Doubtless  the  noblest 
feature  of  such  a turn  circle  is  a single  great  spreading  tree 
like  a mature  white  oak  or  American  chestnut,  and  if  the  pro- 
prietor appreciates  the  pleasures  of  hope,  and  desires  the  greatest 
simplicity  of  effect,  he  had  better  plant  the  latter.  We  have  seen 
specimens  of  the  American  chestnut  of  colossal  size,  which  men 
now  living  remember  as  sprouts. 

A lot  so  large  as  this  must  needs  have  a ground-plan  of  the 
planting  made  on  a large  scale,  and  as  it  is  extremely  difficult  to 
carry  out  any  system  of  planting  for  such  a place  from  a verbal 
description,  we  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  in  detail  all  the 
materials  that  form  the  plantation,  but  make  merely  a rough 
inventory  of  its  properties.  Though  it  is  an  in-lot,  and  in  the 
main  designed  without  connection  with  adjoining  lots,  from  which 
it  is  shown  to  be  separated  by  high  fences  or  walls  and  shrubbery 
to  within  sixty  or  seventy  feet  of  the  street,  yet  on  this  front  space 
we  have  left  openings  on  each  side  for  connections  with  adjoining 
grounds.  Back  of  this,  each  side  of  the  lot  is  bounded  by  screens 
of  evergreens.  On  the  right  of  the  drive  to  the  carriage-house  is 
a cold  grape-house.  The  house-front  is  supposed  to  be  to  the 
east,  so  that  this  grapery  has  a southern  exposure.  It  may  seem 
to  have  no  border  for  the  roots  of  the  grape  vines,  if  it  is  supposed 
that  the  road  in  its  front  has  been  made  by  excavating  all  the 
good  soil  and  substituting  broken  stone  and  gravel  only.  But  we 
would  not  have  this  done.  For  a road-bed,  or  for  a grape  border, 
the  drainage  must  be  equally  deep  and  effective.  That  being 
secured  we  would  make  the  road-bed  of  the  best  grape  soil,  and 
pave  over  it  with  stone,  after  the  “ Belgian  ” and  “ Medina  ” pave- 
ment manner,  at  least  as  far  as  the  length  of  the  grape  house  ; 
using  no  more  sand  or  gravel  than  is  necessary  to  bed  or  fill  in 
between  the  stone.  Of  course  this  bed  will  rise  and  fall  by  the 
freezing  and  thawing  of  the  soil  beneath,  but  this  will  do  no 


176 


FLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


harm.  The  rich  soil  of  the  pavement-bed  will  also  start  vegeta- 
tion between  the  stones,  but  on  so  narrow  a road,  in  constant  use, 
the  extra  labor  required  to  keep  the  surface  clean  is  inconsidera- 
ble. On  the  other  hand  the  pavement  acts  as  a cooling  mulch 
in  summer  and  the  contrary  in  winter — it  equalizes  both  the  tem- 
perature and  moisture  of  the  roots,  and  by  the  reflection  of  heat 
from  its  surface,  adds  to  the  heating  power  of  the  sun’s  rays  in 
maturing  the  grapes  within.  Were  the  road-bed  not  made  suitable 
feeding  ground  for  the  roots  of  the  vines  within,  such  a position  for 
a grapery  would  of  course  be  impracticable ; but  when  thus  pre- 
pared it  becomes  the  most  advantageous  for  the  production  of 
good  grapes,  as  well  as  convenient  of  access.  Beyond  the  cold  grape- 
house  the  fence  is  made  use  of  for  training  hardy  grape  vines.  On 
the  left  is  a bed  designed  for  growing  Delaware  grapes  on  stakes, 
at  first,  with  the  intention  of  making  them  eventually  into  self- 
sustaining  low  trees.  On  and  near  the  garden-walk  from  the  back 
veranda  are  also  trellises  and  an  arbor  for  hardy  grapes.  A row 
of  seven  cherry  trees  planted  one  hundred  feet  from  the  back  line 
of  the  lot  forms  a sort  of  dividing  line  between  the  decorative  and 
the  utilitarian  parts  of  the  lot.  The  orchard-rows  back  of  it,  when 
the  trees  are  well-grown,  will,  however,  add  much  to  the  pleasant 
character  of  the  vistas  from  the  front  street,  and  need  not  be  out 
of  harmony  with  the  groupings  on  the  lawn  in  front  of  them. 
While  the  trees  are  small,  and  the  ground  cultivated  in  garden 
crops,  it  may  be  desirable  to  have  a grape-trellis  or  an  arbor-vitae 
hedge-screen  midway  between  the  rows  of  cherry  and  pear  trees,  or 
a bed  of  tall  and  massy  annuals  ; but  after  ten  years  the  effect  will 
be  better  if  there  is  no  division  between  the  lawn  and  the  orchard. 


Plate  XI. 

A Plan  for  a First  Class  Suburban  Home  on  a Lot  two  hundred  feet 
front  and  three  hundred  feet  deep. 

This  plan  differs  from  the  country  residence -of  a retired  citizen 
in  this,  that  it  is  a home  which  does  not  include  orchards,  pastures, 
and  meadows,  but  is  devoted  to  the  development  of  sylvan  beauty 


Plate  XI 


. 

■ 

' 

■ 


' 


- 

■ 


AND  G HOUNDS. 


177 


rather  than  pecuniary  utilities,  or  farm  conveniences.  It  is  a suita- 
ble home  for  a family  of  cultivated  people,  with  ample  rqeans,  and 
rural  tastes. 

The  orchard  which  takes  an  important  place  in  the  preceding 
plan  is  here  omitted,  to  make  a more  extensive  lawn  and  a fine 
pleasure-walk.  The  entrance-drive  is  more  expensive  than  in  the 
preceding  plan,  and  a side  entrance  walk  is  added.  In  dispensing 
with  an  orchard  we  have  endeavored  to  introduce  in  other  places 
enough  fruit  trees  to  supply  the  family  with  those  kinds  of  fruit 
which  it  is  most  indispensable  to  have  on  one’s  own  place.  It  will 
be  seen  that  there  are  four  cherry  trees  on  the  north  (right)  side  of 
the  house ; four  pear  trees  along  the  border  leading  to  the  carriage- 
house,  three  more  on  the  left-hand  border  of  the  kitchen-garden, 
and  four  peach  trees.  Some  of  the  groups  in  other  parts  of  the 
grounds  may  now  and  then  include  a fruit  tree.  Apple  and  pear 
trees,  Siberian  crabs  and  quinces,  which  harmonize  well  with  some 
of  the  purely  ornamental  trees,  may  be  introduced  in  sufficient 
numbers  in  this  way  to  furnish  a good  supply  of  summer  fruits. 
The  north  fence  back  of  the  evergreen-screen  is  a continuous  trellis 
for  hardy  grapes.  Grape  trellises  also  occupy  the  ends  of  two 
divisions  of  the  kitchen-garden  back  of  the  house.  If  a grape- 
house  is  added,  it  may  occupy  either  the  place  indicated  on  the 
preceding  plan,  or  be  built  with  its  back  to  the  walk  on  the  left  of 
the  garden,  and  facing  the  left.  In  this  case  a few  of  the  trees 
there  would  be  omitted,  and  a slight  change  made  in  the  arrange- 
ment beyond.  Raspberries  can  be  grown  in  abundance  on  the 
border  next  the  back  fence,  strawberries  under  the  growing  fruit 
trees,  and  currants  on  the  walks  where  designated.  The  kitchen- 
garden  is  certainly  small  for  so  fine  a place,  being  but  60  x 80 
feet,  including  the  central-walks  ; but  this  space,  if  well  used  for 
those  things  only  which  can  be  better  grown  than  bought,  will 
produce  a greater  amount  of  vegetables  than  many  persons  sup- 
pose ; and  in  addition  to  this  space  permanently  dedicated  to  such 
things,  room  will  be  found  for  many  years  on  the  borders  and 
among  the  young  trees  of  a plantation  to  grow  many  vegetables 
which  are  by  no  means  unsightly.  In  fact,  such  plants  as  beets, 
carrots,  parsnips,  cabbages,  and  sea-kale,  all  of  which  have  foliage 
12 


178 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


of  great  beauty  and  are  of  low  growth,  can  occasionally  be  grown 
to  advantage,  to  cover  ground  which  needs  cultivation,  in  places 
where  they  will  fill  in  with  as  good  effect  as  flowering  annuals.  A 
good  gardener  can  also  grow  strawberries  with  profit  in  young 
shrubbery  plantations,  where  their  presence  will  not  be  noticed. 

Let  us  now  suppose  ourselves  in  the  street  on  the  side-walk 
at  A.  From  that  corner  the  house  and  grounds  will  be  seen  to 
good  advantage.,  but  the  finest  lines  of  view  on  the  latter  will  be 
obtained  further  to  the  right.  At  the  point  B,  the  whole  length  of 
the  lawn  to  the  evergreen  boundaries  and  shrubby  groups  of  the 
croquet  and  archery  ground  is  an  unbroken  expanse,  margined 
on  the  left  by  varied  groups  of  trees  with  clear  stems,  whose 
shadows  fleck,  but  do  not  interrupt  the  view ; behind  these,  masses 
of  large  flowering  shrubs  form  continuous  bays  and  projections  of 
foliage  that  rest  upon  the  lawn ; while  on  the  right,  in  the  distance, 
glimpses  of  the  pleasure-walk,  now  open,  now  lost  to  sight  behind 
verdant  arches  and  projecting  groups,  and  nearer,  the  long  vine- 
covered  front  of  the  veranda,  and  the  light  colors  of  many  flower- 
beds in  dark  bays  or  on  open  lawn — altogether,  will  give  from 
this  point  of  view  an  impression  of  beauty  and  extent  not  often 
realized  on  less  than  an  acre  and  a half.  Nor  will  the  view  be  less 
pleasing  from  the  main  entrance  at  C,  for  from  this  point  the  trees 
and  the  shrubbery  on  the  left  are  seen  to  better  advantage,  and 
the  evergreen  groups,  summer-house,  and  flower-beds  of  the  far 
corner  come  into  view.  From  D and  E the  views  are  shorter,  but 
take  in  a variety  of  groups  and  single  trees  which  will  be  more  or 
less  interesting  according  to  the  choice  of  materials  in  planting, 
and  the  luxuriance  with  which  they  are  grown.'  Glimpses  may 
also  be  seen  from  these  pdints  of  the  long  lawn  and  the  flower- 
beds on  the  south  side  of  the  house.  At  F,  over  the  gateway,  we 
would  have  a hemlock  arch  like  some  of  those  shown  in  Chapter 
XIV.  Standing  under  this  arch,  narrow  openings  between  shrubs 
and  trees  give  a glimpse  directly  in  front,  margined  by  low  beds  of 
flowers,  of  the  fruit  trees  and  vines  that  border  the  drive  down  to 
the  carriage-house  front ; which  should,  of  course,  be  designed  to 
form  a pleasing  centre  of  this  vista.  The  views  will  also  be  pleas- 
ing in  every  direction  as  one  walks  along  towards  the  house.  On 


so  ft 


E 


E 


E 


E 








AND  GROUNDS. 


179 


the  line  G,  H,  between  thirty  and  forty  feet  from  the  street,  an 
open  line  of  lawn  is  maintained  with  a view  to  reciprocity  of  vistas 
with  the  smaller  front  grounds  of  adjoining  neighbors. 

As  remarked  of  the  preceding  plan,  this  design  embraces  too 
much  for  verbal  description,  and  should  be  planted  after  a well- 
considered  working  plan.  But  there  is  one  small  feature  to  which 
we  would  call  attention,  viz. : the  triangular  piece  between  the 
entrance-road  and  turn-ways.  This  is  marked  to  be  planted  with 
fir  trees,  to  grow  into  a dense  mass,  in  order  to  counteract  as  far 
as  possible,  by  its  shadows  and  the  depth  of  its  verdure,  the  bare 
exposure  of  the  surrounding  roads.  The  centre  tree  should  be 
the  Norway  spruce,  and  the  others  surrounding  it,  hemlocks. 

A careful  examination  of  the  plan  will,  we  trust,  supersede  the 
necessity  of  any  further  description. 

Plate  XII. 

An  Inside  Lot  ojie  hundred  feet  front , and  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  deep. 

Reference  was  made  to  this  plate  in  descriptions  of  Plates  VIII 
and  IX,  the  house-plan  and  the  lot,  in  form  and  size,  being  nearly 
the  same  ; this  plan  being  an  in-lot  with  no  carriage-house  and 
stable,  and  the  others  being  corner  lots  with  these  conveniences. 
The  lot  here  represented  is  supposed  to  have  an  alley  on  the 
rear  end,  and  to  front  on  the  south  side  of  an  east  and  west 
street.  This  gives  the  bay-window  front  of  the  house  a northern 
exposure.  A great  advantage,  in  the  outlook  from  the  windows, 
results  from  this  exposure,  viz. : that  one  sees  the  sunny-side  of  all 
the  shrubbery  in  the  front  grounds,  and  thus  has  the  satisfaction 
of  finding  his  verdant  pets  always  in  a smiling  humor.  The 
house  is  sixty  feet  from  the  front  street,  and  about  the  same 
depth  in  the  rear  end  of  the  lot  is  devoted  to  the  kitchen- 
garden,  fruits,  and  cow,  wood  and  coal-house ; this  part  be- 
ing separated  from  the  part  devoted  to  lawn  by  a grape-trellis 
and  border.  Near  the  street  the  neighbors’  lots  are  supposed 


180 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


to  offer  satisfactory  openings  where  indicated  by  the  upper  dotted 
lines  on  each  side.  The  groups  of  shrubbery  are  placed  so 
as  to  illustrate  many  of  the  suggestions  of  the  rules  given  in 
Chapter  XI.  No  long  vista  of  lawn  is  possible,  but  the  groups 
and  single  specimens  of  shrubs  or  dwarf  trees,  with  a few  bedding- 
plants  and  flower-beds,  if  properly  chosen,  and  planted  in  con- 
formity with  the  plan,  and  well  grown,  will  hardly  fail  to  make 
a yard  of  superior  attractiveness ; especially  pleasing  as  seen 
from  the  bay-windows ; — the  arrangement  having  been  made  with 
reference  to  the  effect  from  them. 

Description. — Let  us  begin  at  the  front-entrance  gate,  from 
which  a walk  four  feet  wide  leads  straight  to  the  veranda  entrance, 
and  a walk  three  feet  in  width  to  the  kitchen  entrance.  On 
each  side  the  front  gate  arbor-vitae  trees  (the  Siberian)  are  desig- 
nated, with  low  masses  of  evergreen  shrubs  between  them  and 
the  fence.  An  opening  to  a straight  walk  like  this  is  especially 
appropriate  for  a verdant  arch,  and  if  the  proprietor  has  the 
patience  to  grow  one,  the  substitution  of  the  hemlock  for  the  arbor- 
vitae  is  recommended.  For  an  arch,  the  trees  should  not  be  planted 
more  than  two  feet  away  from  the  walk. 

The  only  large  trees  on  this  plan  are  a pair  of  maples,  about 
twelve  feet,  diagonally,  from  the  corners  of  the  veranda  and 
main  house  respectively ; a white  or  Austrian  pine  on  the  right 
border,  four  cherry  trees  in  the  right-side  yard,  and  the  pear  trees 
in  the  kitchen-garden  department.  The  maples  may  be  the  purple- 
leaved, and  the  golden-leaved  varieties  of  the  sycamore  maple.  A 
hemlock  screen  or  hedge  bounds  the  croquet  ground  on  the  south ; 
at  the  corner  are  a few  Norway  spruces  ; next,  in  front,  a group  of 
arbor-vitaes ; then  a continuous  hedge  of  the  same  for  twenty  feet, 
terminated  by  a group  of  arbor-vitaes  and  yews  chosen  to  exhibit 
contrasts  of  color. 

The  group  on  the  left,  between  the  upper  dotted  lines,  is  to  be 
composed  of  a variety  of  strong  growing  common  shrubs,  with  a 
Lawson’s  cypress  or  a Nordmanns  fir,  or  the  Chinese  cypress, 
Glypto-strobus  sinensis , where  the  symbol  of  the  arbor-vitae  is 
shown.  Towards  the  street  from  that  tree  we  would  put  in  ever- 
green shrubs  only. 


181 


A N D G R O U ND  S. 

The  lilac  group  in  front  may  embrace  all  the  finest  varieties  of 
that  family — the  common  white  and  Charles  the  Tenth  varieties 
near  the  centre ; the  chionanthus-leaved  next  towards  the  house  ; 
the  Chinese  red,  Rothamagensis  rubra , next ; the  Persian  white, 
Persica  alba , next ; the  dwarf,  Syringa  nana>  at  the  point ; and  the 
Chinese  purple  and  white  for  the  two  wings  of  the  group.  Near  the 
fence  we  would  plant  a few  common  bush  honeysuckles,  as  the 
dust  from  the  street  has  a less  injurious  effect  on  their  foliage  than 
on  that  of  the  lilacs. 

The  central  front  group,  to  the  right  of  the  lilac  group,  may 
be : — a purple  fringe  tree  nine  feet  from  the  fence,  and  in  succes- 
sion from  it,  towards  the  house,  the  pink-flowering  honeysuckle, 
Lonicera  grandiflora,  five  feet  from  the  fringe  tree  ; the  Deutzia  cre- 
nata  rubra , four  feet  further ; and  at  the  point,  the  Deutzia  gracilis , 
four  feet  from  the  latter.  The  shrub  on  the  right  may  be  Gordon’s 
flowering  currant. 

The  single  small  trees  on  each  side  the  entrance,  twelve  feet 
from  the  front,  and  fifteen  feet  from  the  middle  of  the  walk,  may 
be,  one  the  weeping  silver-fir,  and  the  other  the  weeping  Norway 
spruce,  grown  as  slenderly  as  possible.  The  shrubs  towards  the 
fence,  under  and  next  to  the  fir  tree  on  the  right,  may  be  hardy 
varieties  of  dwarf  evergreens  or  a bed  of  mahonias. 

The  group  in  the  right-hand  corner  may  have  at  its  point 
towards  the  house  a bed  for  cannas,  or  other  showy-leaved  plants ; 
next  to  it  the  Chinese  purple  magnolia ; back  of  that  the  Magnolia 
soulangeana , grown  low,  or  a weeping  Japan  sophora,  and  between 
it  and  the  front,  a bed  of  rhododendrons,  or  two  or  three  mugho 
pines;  the  projecting  shrub  on  the  left  to  be  the  dwarf  white 
pine,  P.  strobus  comp  acta. 

The  side  border,  under  and  near  to  the  large  pine,  we  would 
have  a bed  of  rhododendrons ; next  to  these,  towards  the  street, 
the  evergreen  shrub,  Cephalotaxus  fortunii  mascula , and  for  the  point 
in  front  of  it,  the  golden  yew.  Along  the  fence,  above  the  pine, 
the  border  may  be  composed  of  the  finest  collection  of  hardy  ever- 
green shrubs  that  the  proprietor  can  afford  ; or,  if  they  are  too 
expensive,  or  too  long  in  developing  their  beauties,  the  border  may 
be  made  almost  as  satisfactory  with  common  deciduous  shrubs. 


182 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


The  groups  in  front  of  the  veranda,  between  the  cherry  trees, 
and  those  against  the  house,  may  be  composed  of  shrubs  which 
are  family  favorites,  or  with  annual  and  perennial  flowering  plants 
of  graded  sizes.  The  flower-beds  adjacent  to  the  main  walk  are 
for  low-growing  plants  only.  The  two  small  bushes  behind  the 
flower-beds  nearest  the  gate  are  to  be,  one  the  golden  arbor-vitae, 
and  the  other  the  golden  yew  ; and  in  the  rear  of  the  next  flower- 
bed on  the  right,  an  Irish  juniper  is  intended.  Between  the  bay- 
windows  a weeping  juniper,  J.  oblonga  pcjidi^la,  or  the  weeping 
Norway  spruce,  Abies  e.  inverta , may  be  planted,  or  the  bed  may  be 
occupied  as  described  for  Plate  VIII.  The  beds  directly  in  front 
of  the  bay-windows  can  be  different  each  year,  with  such  plants 
as  some  of  the  medium-sized  cannas,  the  Wigandia  Caracas  ana, 
the  Nicoteana  atropurpurea  grandiflora , and  the  Japanese  maize 
for  the  centre  plant,  and  round,  bushy-headed  plants,  like  the 
geraniums  and  the  Colleus  verschafelti , for  the  projecting  parts  of 
the  beds. 

Since  the  engraving  has  been  completed,  we  perceive  that  the 
kitchen  department  of  this  lot— that  back  of  the  grape-trellis — 
might  be  more  advantageously  planned,  but  as  we  cannot  now 
correct  it,  the  reader’s  ingenuity  must  be  exercised  to  improve  it. 

Plate  XIII. 

A Plan  of  the  Grounds  for  a Commodious  House  with  a side-entrance 
porch , on  an  Inside  Lot  having  a front  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  on  the  street , and  a depth  of  three  hundred  and  eight  feet. 

The  front  of  the  main  veranda  of  the  house  is  seventy  feet 
from  the  street ; the  distance  from  the  porch-front  to  the  side  of 
the  lot  is  sixty-five  feet,  and  the  space  between  the  house  and  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  lot  is  forty  feet.  This  is  a very  desirable 
form  of  lot.  It  allows  of  a long  reach  of  lawn  on  the  entrance-side, 
and  sufficient  openness  on  all  sides  to  be  in  keeping  with  so  large 
a house  ; while  there  is  ample  room  for  stable  and  carriage-house 
conveniences,  fruit  trees,  and  a vegetable  garden. 


A ND  G R 0 UN D S. 


183 


This  is  the  first  plan  that  shows  a residence  with  its  carriage- 
porch  and  main  entrance  on  the  side — an  arrangement  that  econo- 
mizes space  to  great  advantage  on  narrow  lots,  and  enables  the 
architect  to  have  more  liberty  in  the  arrangement  and  exposure  of 
the  principal  rooms,  and  to  make  more  pleasing  views  from  their 
windows  over  the  grounds.*  It  will  be  seen  that  the  turn-way  of  the 
carriage-road  is  partly  back  of  the  house,  around  a circular  grass 
plat  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a pine  tree. 
The  drive  turns  close  to  the  back  veranda,  where  a platform-step  is 
provided  for  easy  ingress  and  egress  from  carriages.  This  is  likely 
to  be  the  carriage-porch  of  the  family  when  unaccompanied  by 
friends.  Beyond  the  turn,  the  road  is  straight  along  the  trellised 
boundary  of  the  kitchen-garden,  and  widens  with  abundant  space  in 
front  of  the  carriage-house.  Near  the  rear  of  the  lot  are  a few 
cherry  and  peach  trees  ; back  of  the  drying-yard  and  kitchen  are 
others.  A row  of  pear  trees  on  the  left  of  the  main  drive  are 
enough  to  furnish  a summer  and  autumn  supply  of  this  delicious 
fruit ; while  in  other  portions  of  the  grounds,  apples  and  crab- 
apple  trees  may  be  introduced  as  parts  of  groups.  Of  the  small 
fruits  the*garden  plan  shows  an  ample  provision. 

The  purely  decorative  portion  of  the  place  may  be  in  part  de- 
scribed as  follows : — beginning  at  the  carriage-entrance.  This  starts 
from  the  middle  of  the  opening  between  two  street  trees,  and  is 
flanked  on  either  side  simply  by  a pair  of  trees  of  any  fine  variety 
of  elms  or  maples,  chestnuts,  horse-chestnuts,  oaks  or  beeches,  to  be 
planted  ten  feet  from  the  fence,  and  the  same  distance  from  the 
drive.  While  they  are  young  the  ground  for  a radius  of  six  feet 
around  them  should  be  kept  in  cultivation,  and  planted  on  its  outer 
margin  with  such  deciduous  shrubs  as  flowering-currants,  purjole 
berberries,  variegated-leaved  elder,  privet,  glossy-leaved  viburnum, 
common  bush  honeysuckles,  or  whatever  else  will  grow  in  partial 
shade,  not  exceeding  six  or  seven  feet  in  height,  and  with  branches 
bending  to  the  grass.  When  the  trees  are  ten  or  fifteen  years 

* We  cannot  commend  this  house  plan  as  particularly  adapted  to  the  lot.  The  plan  for  the 
grounds  greiu  up  around  the  house  as  a thing  already  fixed.  The  latter  is  designed  to  meet 
the  wants  of  a man  of  “bookish  ” tastes,  as  well  as  wealth,  who  needs  a fine  library-room  separate 
from  the  family  room. 


184 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


planted,  all  these  must  be  removed.  Or  the  groups  of  shrubbery 
around  these  trees  may  be  composed  entirely  of  rhododendrons  if 
the  proprietor  can  afford  it.  The  group  to  the  left,  adjoining  the 
neighbor-lot,  is  intended  as  a continuation  of  the  group  around  the 
left-hand  gateway  tree,  and  may  be  composed  of  similar  shrubs  of 
larger  growth.  The  two  small  pine  trees  farther  up  on  the  left, 
marked  i,  are  to  be  the  mugho  and  dwarf  white  pines — the  latter 
towards  the  house.  The  group  of  shrubs  (2)  between  these  and 
the  carriage-way,  and  near  the  latter,  should  be  choice  small  hardy 
evergreens — say,  for  the  centre,  the  weeping  juniper,  J.  oblonga 
pendula,  or  the  erect  yew,  Taxus  erecta  ; each  side  of  this,  on  a line 
parallel  with  the  road,  and  three  feet  from  the  centre,  the  golden 
arbor-vitae,  and  the  golden  yew  ; at  the  ends,  and  three  feet  from 
the  latter,  plant  the  dwarf  silver-fir,  Picea  pectinata  compacta , and 
the  dwarf  spruce,  Abies  gregoriana.  Outside  the  line  of  these, 
and  midway  of  the  spaces  between  them,  plant  the  pygmy  spruce, 
the  dwarf  black  spruce,  the  dwarf  Swedish  juniper,  the  juniper 
repanda  densa , the  trailing  juniper  repens , and  the  Daphne 
cneorum.  The  first  pair  of  fir  trees  on  the  left,  next  the  fence  (3), 
may  be,  one  the  Norway,  and  the  other  the  oriental  spruce.  The 
border  along  the  fence  is  to  be  of  hemlocks  ; the  next  pair  of  firs 
(4)  may  be  the  cephalonian  fir,  nearest  the  fence,  and  the  Nord- 
manns  fir  ten  feet  in  advance  of  it.  The  pine  tree  (5)  opposite  the 
bay-window  of  the  room  marked  S,  is  improperly  placed  there.  It 
should  be  fifteen  feet  further  towards  the  front  of  the  lot ; and  is 
intended  for  the  Bhotan  pine.  The  two  small  trees  on  the  left  (6), 
opposite  the  turn-circle,  are  a pair  of  Judas  trees.  The  group  of 
four  trees  next  the  fence  (7)  may  be  a pair  of  sassafras  in  the 
middle ; a weeping  Japan  sophora  nearest  the  house,  and  the 
white-flowering  dogwood  farthest  from  the  house.  An  under- 
growth nearest  to  the  fence  may  be  made  with  the  red-twigged  dog- 
wood, Cornus  alba , the  flowering-currants,  and  the  variegated-leaved 
elder ; and  the  border  continued  to  the  rear  corner  with  common 
and  well-known  shrubs.  No.  8 is  for  a Kolreuteria  paniculata , 
connected  by  overarching  shrubs  with  the  side-border ; 9 is  a 
weeping  beech  ; 10,  10,  masses  of  hemlocks  ; the  tree  in  the  far 
corner  an  Austrian  pine ; 1 1 a white  pine,  and  behind  it  an 


A N D G R O UND  S. 


185 


Austrian  pine ; and  hemlocks  and  white  pines  fill  the  border 
towards  the  carriage-house. 

On  the  right  of  the  lawn  the  fruit  trees  are  sufficiently  symbol- 
ized. At  12,  a purple  beech;  at  13,  a group  of  the  choicest  shrubs 
increasing  in  size  as  they  recede  from  the  house.  For  the  point 
nearest  the  carriage-road  the  Ajidromeda  floribunda  is  well  suited  ; 
eighteen  inches  behind  it  the  Deutzia  gracilis ; the  same  distance 
from  that,  two  plants  side  by  side  and  one  foot  apart  from  the  Rho- 
dodendron roseum  elegans ; then  pairs  of  plants  of  rhododendrons 
in  the  following  order,  R.  album  candidissbna , R.  grandiflorum 
gloriosum ; and  beyond  them,  for  the  end  of  the  bed,  Sargent’s 
hemlock,  or  the  pendulous  Norway  spruce,  A.  e.  inverta ; or, 
the  weeping  silver-fir,  Picea  p.  pefidula.  The  group  at  the  turn  of 
the  carriage-road,  and  on  a line  with  the  pear  trees,  may  be  com- 
posed of  any  good  common  shrubs  of  large  size,  being  careful  to 
place  those  which  grow  bare  at  the  bottom  in  the  rear  of  those 
whose  foliage  bends  gracefully  to  the  ground.  The  bed  adjoining 
the  rear  veranda  is  for  the  choice  small  pet-flowers  of  the  lady 
of  the  house,  whatever  they  may  be. 

On  the  front,  the  large  tree  to  the  right  of  the  carriage-road, 
nearest  the  house,  is  intended  for  the  cut-leaved  weeping  birch, 
or  a pair  of  them  planted  but  a few  feet  apart.  At  14  may  be  a 
single  plant  of  the  old  red  tartarian  honeysuckle,  grown  in  rich 
ground  and  allowed  to  spread  upon  the  lawn.  At  15,  on  the 
end  towards  the  house,  a Japan  weeping  sophora  grafted  not 
more  than  seven  feet  high  ; in  the  middle,  on  the  side  towards 
the  street,  the  Andromeda  arborea ; and  on  either  side  of  that 
the  Deutzias  crenata  alba,  and  Crenata  rubra.  At  16,  towards 
the  house,  the  broad-leaved  strawberry  tree  Enonymus  latifo- 
lius ; on  the  left  of  the  group  the  Weigela  rosea;  four  feet  to 
the  right  of  it  the  Weigela  amabalis ; four  feet  to  the  right  again, 
the  Weigela  arborea  grandiflora ; and  at  the  right  end  of  the 
group,  the  great-leaved  snow-ball,  Viburnum  machrophyllum ; and 
between  these  and  the  strawberry  tree,  the  dwarf  snow-ball,  Vi- 
burnum anglicum.  At  17  plant  the  great-leaved  magnolia,  M. 
machrophyllum.  At  18  we  would  make  a flat  pine  tree  arch  over 
the  gateway,  as  suggested  in  Chapter  XIV.  At  19  is  a bed  of 


L86 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES. 


shrubs  that  should  be  always  in  high  condition,  as  it  is  conspicu- 
ous from  every  point  of  view.  We  will  suggest  for  its  point 
nearest  the  house  the  Spirea  callosa  alba ; then  the  Deutzia  gra- 
cilis ; next,  two  feet  from  the  former,  the  Spirea  reevesi  flore  plena ; 
next  (in  the  middle  line  of  the  bed),  the  Spirea  callosa  fortunii,  with 
a Daphne  cneorum  on  each  side  of  it  to  cover  its  nakedness  near 
the  ground  ; and  for  the  end  of  the  bed  nearest  the  entrance-gate, 
the  Chinese  red,  or  the  Chinese  purple  magnolia.  Or  this  bed 
may  be  filled  with  evergreen  shrubs  or  shrubby  trees  alone,  as 
follows : for  the  point  nearest  the  house,  the  Daphne  cneorum  ; near, 
and  behind  it,  the  Andromeda  floribunda ; next,  two  feet  from  the 
former,  a pair  of  rhododendrons,  Roseum  elegans  and  Album  can- 
didissima ; next,  in  the  middle,  a single  rhododendron,  gloriosum, 
with  a rhododendron,  everestianum , on  each  side  of  it ; next,  in  the 
centre  line  of  the  bed,  the  Cephalotaxus  fortunii  mascula  ; and  for 
the  end  of  the  bed  next  the  street  the  golden  yew,  or  the  golden 
arbor-vitae.  No.  20  is  the  weeping  juniper,  Oblonga  pendula  ; 21  is 
a grand  rose-bed  ; 22,  a belt  of  common  shrubs ; 23,  an  Irish 
juniper;  24,  a Swedish  juniper;  25,  Siberian  arbor-vitaes,  con- 
tinued as  a high  hedge  around  to  26,  where  it  is  terminated  by  a 
Nordmanns  fir.  In  the  centre  of  the  semicircle  which  this  hedge 
is  intended  to  describe,  and  on  a line  with  the  centre  of  the  dining- 
room, is  to  be  an  elegant  vase  for  flowers  ; and  four  circular  beds 
for  low  brilliant  flowers  are  intended  to  make  the  view  from  the 
bay-window  more  pleasing.  The  very  small  shrubs  at  the  corners 
of  that  bay-window  represent  Irish  junipers. 

The  flower-beds  in  this  plan  need  not  be  described  in  detail. 
Quite  a number  of  vases  are  marked  on  the  plan,  but  they  are  not 
essential  to  the  good  effect  of  the  planting,  though  pleasing  addi- 
tions if  well  chosen  and  well  filled. 

Fig.  43  is  a view  of  the  house  on  this  plan,  taken  from  a point 
on  the  street  line  fifty  or  sixty  feet  to  the  left  of  this  lot,  looking 
across  a portion  of  the  neighbor-lot,  and  its  light  division  fence. 
The  architect  having  kindly  furnished  a sketch  of  the  house  with- 
• out  any  reference  to  the  grounds,  we  have  endeavored  to  sketch 
the  sylvan  features  as  shown  on  the  ground-plan,  from  the  Same 
point  of  view  ; but  it  is  quite  impossible  in  small  engravings  to  do 


Fig.  43. 


188 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


justice  to  the  pleasing  effects  of  such  plantations.  Photographic 
views  occasionally  give  exquisite  effects  of  parts  of  embellished 
grounds,  but  even  these  fail  to  convey  a correct  impression  of  the 
accessories  of  the  central  point  of  view.  It  is  quite  certain  that  a 
place  planted  (and  well  kept)  in  the  manner  indicated  by  this  plate 
and  description,  will  be  far  prettier  than  any  picture  of  it  that  can 
be  engraved. 


Plates  XIV  and  XV. 

Two  Methods  of  Planting  a small  Corner  fot. 

In  these  two  plates  we  desire  to  illustrate  two  modes  of  treat- 
ing a village  corner  lot  of  fifty  feet  front,  where  the  small  depth  of 
the  lot,  or  other  circumstances,  requires  the  house  to  be  placed 
quite  near  the  front  street.  The  house  plans  resemble  each  other 
in  form,  though  it  will  be  seen  that  the  one  on  Plate  XIV  is  set 
but  five  steps  above  the  level  of  the  ground,  and  has  its  kitchen 
and  dining-room  on  the  main  floor,  while  the  plan  on  Plate  XV 
is  a city  basement  house,  with  kitchen  and  dining-room  under  the 
bed-room  and  parlor,  the  main  floor  being  raised  ten  steps  above 
the  street.  The  two  ground  plans  (by  which  we  mean  plans  of 
the  grounds)  differ  essentially  in  this,  that  the  first  has  one  side- 
wall  of  the  house  directly  on  the  street,  so  as  to  throw  its  narrow 
strip  of  lawn,  and  embellishments,  on  the  inside  of  the  lot,  away 
from  the  side-street  ; while  on  Plate  XV  the  entire  length  of  the 
house  on  that  side  is  supposed  to  be  a party-wall,  as  if  it  were 
part  of  a block,  or  one  of  a pair  of  houses. 

Ground  Plan  of  Plate  XIV. — The  veranda  front  is  but 
eight  feet  from  the  street.  Unless  the  approach-steps  are  of  a 
character  less  plain  than  those  shown  on  the  plan,  little  can  be 
done  to  decorate  this  narrow  space.  The  veranda  can  be  covered 
with  vines,  and  a strip  three  feet  wide  in  front  of  it  may  be  de- 
voted to  choice  flowers ; but  we  would  advise  to  have  nothing 
there  but  the  vines  and  the  lawn.  On  each  side  the  steps  we 
would  plant  either  the  tree-box,  the  golden  yew,  the  golden  arbor- 


STREET. 


Hate  XIV 


0 


AND  GROUNDS . 


189 


vitae,  or  the  arborescent  English  ivy.  If  the  front  were  to  the 

north  or  east,  and  the  soil  a moist,  friable  loam,  a very  elegant 

sylvan  arch  might  be  made  in  time  by  planting  six  hemlock  trees ; 

two  in  the  corners  just  described,  and  four  inside  the  gate — two 

on  each  side,  and  but  a foot  apart,  as  shown  by  the  dots  at  a , a. 

Two  of  these  could  be  made  to  grow  into  an  arch  over  the  gate, 

and  the  others  to  form  two  arches  at  right  angles  to  the  first,  on 

each  side  of  the  walk.  This  would  only  be  practicable,  however, 

in  case  the  town  authorities  will  allow  the  trees  nearest  the  gate 

to  develop  into  the  street ; but  with  four  feet  additional  width  in 

front  of  the  veranda,  it  would  be  feasible  without  such  privilege. 

In  the  left  corner  of  the  front,  a Siberian  arbor-vitae  screen  is 

intended.  The  veranda  on  the  left  is  intended  to  be  partially 

inclosed  between  the  posts  with  lattice-work,  and  covered  with 
✓ 

vines — there  being  just  room  enough  between  the  veranda-founda- 
tion and  the  street  line  for' the  protection  of  their  roots. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  narrow  lawn-strip  on  the  right ; a space 
but  twenty  feet  wide  and  seventy  feet  deep  to  the  arch-entrance 
of  the  grape-arbor  and  kitchen-garden  on  a line  with  the  rear  of 
the  house.  Midway  of  this  strip  the  bay-window  projects.  The 
two  objects  to  be  kept  in  view  in  laying  out  this  bit  of  a lawn 
are,  first,  to  make  the  most  pleasing  out-look  from  the  bay- 
window  ; and,  second,  the  most  pleasing  in-look  from  the  street. 
It  is  assumed  that  there  is  no  desirable  connection  to  be  made 
with  the  lot  on  the  right,  so  that  a fence  necessarily  bounds 
the  view  on  that  side.  We  must  suppose  also  that  there  is  no 
house  built,  or  likely  to  be  built,  up  to  that  line,  otherwise  it  would 
not  be  sensible  to  place  the  house  on  the  street-side  of  the  lot,  but 
rather  in  the  manner  shown  by  Plate  XV. 

The  close  fence,  back  to  opposite  the  bay-window,  should  be 
covered  with  English  ivy  if  it  can  be  made  to  grow  there.  Unless 
the  exposure  is  due  south,  there  ought  to  be  little  difficulty  in 
getting  the  ivy  to  cover  the  fence  if  the  owner  will  take  the  trouble 
to  have  it  thatched  over  with  straw  on  the  approach  of  winter, 
and  the  base  well  mulched.  A fence  in  such  a place,  if  of  wood, 
must  be  a neat  piece  of  work,  and  well  painted.  Ivy  will  not 
creep  up  painted  wood.  We  would  therefore  make  a kind  of 


190 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


trellis  from  post  to  post  on  the  inside  of  the  fence,  and  put  down 
small  sticks  with  the  bark  on,  by  the  side  of  the  ivy  roots.  These 
should  be  inside  the  trellis-bars,  and  reach  nearly  to  the  top  of  the 
fence,  and  be  fastened  there.  The  plants  will  readily  climb  these 
sticks  and  soon  hide  them  from  sight.  In  a few  seasons,  if  they 
have  been  safely  preserved  through  the  first  winter,*  the  branch- 
ing arms  of  the  ivy  will  extend  over  the  bars  of  the  trellis,  and 
by  their  radiating  growth  soon  w7eave  a self-sustaining  wall  of 
verdure.  By  the  time  the  barky  sticks  decay,  the  ivy  will  have 
no  need  of  their  support.  This  ivy-wall  being  the  right  flank  of 
our  little  lawn,  it  is  essential  that  it  be  well  planted. 

At  the  street  front  of  this  lawn,  are  two  Siberian  arbor-vitaes  b,  b, 
shown  on  the  plan  of  a size  they  are  likely  to  attain  in  about  five 
years  after  planting.  Doubtless  at  first  these  alone  will  leave  the 
front  too  open,  but  in  ten  years  they  will  be  all  this  part  of  the 
place  will  require. 

To  return  to  the  lawn  : c is  the  weeping  juniper,  J.  oblonga 
pendula;  d,  an  Irish  juniper;  e,  a pendulous  Norway  spruce, 
Abies  e.  inverta ; /,  a golden  arbor-vitae  ; g,  the  weeping  silver-fir, 
Picea  pectinata  pendula  ; on  one  side  of  the  latter  may  be  planted 
the  dwarf  silver-fir,  Picea  pectmata  compacta , and  on  the  other  the 
Picea  hudsonica . The  dotted  circle  projecting  into  the  lawn  in 
front  of  the  arbor-vitae  is  for  any  showy  bulbous  or  bedding-plants 
which  will  not  spread  much  beyond  the  limits  of  the  bed.  At  h , 
plant  Parson’s  American  arbor-vitae,  Thuja  occidentalis  compacta  ; at 
/,  another  pendulous  Norway  spruce  ; in  front  of  it  a vase  ; at /,  k, 
and  /,  three  bushy  rhododendrons  ; or,  the  golden  yew,  Taxus 
aurea , the  erect  yew,  Taxus  erecta , and  the  juniper,  Repanda 
densa.  At  ;/z,  Sargent’s  hemlock,  Abies  catiadensis  inverta ; n,  An- 
dromeda floribunda  and  Daphne  cneorum.  At  o and  v,  plant  a pair 
of  Deutzia  gracilis , or  showy  bedding  plants,  or  fine  conservatory 
plants  in  boxes,  buried ; — plants  of  gorgeous  foliage  to  be  pre- 
ferred : back  of  o,  the  weeping  arbor-vitas ; at  /,  the  purple-leaved 
berberry  ; y,  Weigela  amabalis  ; r,  r,  r,  r,  Irish  or  Swedish  junipers. 


* The  first  winter  or  two,  these  sticks  may  be  turned  down  along  the  fence  with  the  ivy  upon 
them  for  greater  ease  in  protecting  the  latter. 


A ND  G It  O U JV D S. 


191 


Near  the  arch  entering  the  garden,  two  Bartlett  pear  trees  may  be 
substituted  for  them  ; but  in  this  case  the  grape  vines  on  .the 
trellis  will  be  rendered  barren  as  soon  as  the  trees  grow  .to  shade 
them.  As  the  pear  trees  will  probably  furnish  the  most  valuable 
crop  and  form  a not  inappropriate  feature,  there  will  be  no  impro- 
priety in  using  them.  The  plants  for  the  side  of  the  house  will 
depend  somewhat  on  its  exposure.  The  following  list  will  do  for 
any  but  a north  exposure.  From  c , back  to  the  bay-window,  a 
selection  of  the  finest  low-growing  monthly  roses,  alternated  with 
Salvia  fulgens  or  splendens , or  with  any  of  a thousand  beautiful 
annuals  or  perennials  of  low  compact  growth.  At  the  inner  angle 
of  the  bay-window  a group  of  five  rhododendrons  ; R.  grandiflorum 
in  the  corner,  and  four  of  the  best  dwarf  sorts  around  it,  will  be 
appropriate.  If  the  exposure  of  this  wall  is  to  the  north,  we  would 
cover  it  with  the  superb  native  of  our  woods,  the  Virginia  creeper 
or  American  ivy.  At  s,  the  old  bush  honeysuckle,  Lonicera  tar- 
tarica.  Under  the  middle  window  of  the  bay  make  a narrow  bed 
for  mignonette  and  heliotrope.  At  t,  the  Deutzia  crenata  alba  and 
crenata  rubra  jlore  plena  planted  side  by  side  so  as  to  intermingle 
their  growth  ; at  //,  the  lilac  S.  rothmagensis ; at  w,  the  variegated- 
leaved tree-box ; at  x,  Spireas  reevesi  Jlore  plena  and  callosa , together ; 
at  y , the  Weigela  rosea.  This  completes  a selection  for  this  lawn- 
border.  Different  selections  as  good  or  better  may  doubtless  be 
made  by  persons  versed  in  such  matters.  While  the  evergreens 
recommended  for  the  right-hand  border  are  small,  tall  gay-blos- 
somed plants  may  be  used  to  fill  the  bed.  If  the  occupant  desires 
a quick  and  showy  return  for  his  planting,  the  evergreen  shrubs 
which  we  have  named  for  this  fence-border  may  be  too  slow  in 
their  growth  to  suit ; and  the  fine  varieties  of  lilacs,  honeysuckles, 
weigelas,  deutzias,  spireas,  syringas,  and  snow-balls  may  be  sub- 
stituted. 

The  veranda  that  opens  from  the  dining-room  has  some  flowers 
at  its  base,  vines  on  its  posts,  a lilac-bush  at  2 on  the  right  of  the 
steps,  and  a compact  hedge  of  Siberian  arbor-vitaes  on  the  left  to 
screen  the  kitchen-yard  from  observation.  The  trees  near  the 
gate  may  in  time  be  made  to  overarch  it.  The  grape-trellis 
should  finish  with  an  arch  over  this  entrance  to  the  garden.  The 


192 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


tree  r,  in  the  garden,  is  an  Irish  juniper, # which  is  so  slender  that 
its  shade  is  not  likely  to  injure  the  grape  vines. 

We  have  considered  these  grounds  too  small  to  introduce  any 
trees,  not  even  fruit  trees ; but  of  small  fruits  the  garden  may  have 
a good  supply. 

Plate  XV. — There  being  no  bed-room  projection  on  the  side 
of  the  house,  the  lawn  is  seven  feet  wider  than  on  the  preceding 
design.  The  house  being  a city  basement  plan,  with  a high  porch, 
the  entrance  is  designed  with  more  architectural  completeness. 
The  street  margin  of  the  lot  is  supposed  to  stand  twenty-one 
inches  above  the  level  of  the  sidewalk,  with  a stone  wall  all 
around,  the  coping  of  which  is  to  have  its  upper  side  level  with 
the  lawn  next  to  it,  and  to  be  surmounted  by  a low  iron  fence. 
The  front  porch  (designed  for  iron)  is  approached  by  three  stone 
steps  on  the  street  line,  landing  on  a stone  platform  4x6.  The 
side  walls  of  the  steps  to  the  porch  form  vase  pedestals.  The 
walk  to  the  basement  is  fourteen  inches  below  the  level  of  the 
lawn,  and  seven  inches  above  the  street  sidewalk.  At  the  angles 
of  the  basement  area  wall,  the  copings  are  squared  for  the  recep- 
tion of  vases.  The  rear  walk,  from  the  side  street,  rises  by  two 
steps  on  the  street  line,  so  that  it  will  be  below  the  level  of  the 
lawn  for  ten  or  fifteen  feet  from  the  gate.  The  ground  should  rise 
about  one  foot  from  the  fence  to  the  house. 

For  the  benefit  of  readers  not  very  familiar  with  the  study  of 
house-plans,  some  explanation  may  be  necessary  to  an  understand- 
ing of  the  back-stair  arrangement  on  this  plan,  which  will  be 
found  quite  simple  and  convenient.  The  dining-room  being  in 
the  basement,  broad  stairs  lead  down  to  it  from  the  main  hall. 
Servants  may  come  up  these  stairs  from  the  basement,  and  go 
into  the  second  story  by  the  back  stairs  from  the  passage  (which 
also  opens  into  the  library-room)  without  entering  the  hall  or 
the  living-rooms  of  the  main  floor.  If  it  is  considered  essential 
to  have  a direct  communication  between  the  bed-room  and  the 
basement,  a private  stairway  may  be  made  from  the  closet,  under 
the  back  stairway. 

The  library  is  to  have  a glazed  door  (glazed  low)  to  enter  the 


Side  sthee1 


Plate  XV 


. ■ ' i 


A NB  G R O UN D S. 


193 


side  veranda.  Through  this  a pretty  perspective  down  the  garden- 
walk  will  be  seen.  More  space  being  devoted  to  lawn  in  the  rear 
of  this  house  than  on  the  preceding  plan,  three  cherry  trees  are 
introduced  there. 

The  best  frontage  for  this  place  would  be  to  the  north,  giving 
the  open  side  of  the  house  an  eastern  exposure.  A front  to  the 
east  or  the  south  would  not  be  objectionable,  as  the  side  lawn  and 
lookout  from  the  house  would  still  be  sunny ; but  if  the  house  were 
to  front  to  the  west,  then  the  open  side  would  be  to  the  north — 
an  uncheerful  exposure,  that  ought  to  be  avoided  where  possible. 

The  verdant  embellishment  for  the  ground  may  be  as  follows : 
first,  four  vases  filled  with  flowers,  two  by  the  side  of  the  main 
steps,  and  two  on  the  area  coping.  The  former  should  be  the 
more  elegant  forms.  At  a,  is  an  Irish  juniper  (which  should  be  set 
a foot  or  two  farther  from  the  walk)  ; at  b,  a group  consisting  of 
a Lilac  rothamagensis  in  the  middle,  and  the  double  white  and 
double  pink-flowering  deutzias  on  each  side  of  it ; or  of  the  IVeigela 
amabalis  in  the  centre,  with  the  common  tartarian  bush  honey- 
suckle on  one  side,  and  the  pink-flowering  deutzia  on  the  other. 
These  are  expected  to  expand  freely  over  the  fence  and  sidewalk. 
At  Cy  Sargent’s  hemlock  ; at  d,  a weeping  Norway  spruce  ( inverta ) ; 
at  Cy  a dwarf  white  pine  ( compada ) ; at  fy  the  erect  yew,  Taxus 
erecta ; g , gy  Parson’s  arbor-vitae  and  the  golden  yew ; at  /z,  the 
weeping  silver-fir,  Picea  p.  pendula ; at  /,  the  Japan  podocarpus, 
in  the  climate  of  Cincinnati,  and  the  golden  arbor-vitae  farther 
north.  At  /,  another  weeping  Norway  spruce  ; at  k , the  Cephalo- 
taxus  fortunii  mascula  nearest  the  street,  and  the  weeping  arbor-vitae 
on  the  side  towards  the  house.  At  /,  Nordmanns  fir,  Picea  nord- 
maniana  ; from  / to  <?,  a screen  of  Sargent’s  hemlock  ; ;//,  weeping 
juniper,  J.  oblonga  pendula;  ;z,  Siberian  arbor-vitae  ; o,  the  pendu- 
lous red-cedar,  J.  virginia?ia  pendula ; p,  the  weeping  silver-fir ; 
qy  the  weeping  Norway  spruce,  Abies  e.  inverta.  A hemlock 
screen  to  be  continued  along  the  street  line  from  q across  the  walk, 
so  that  the  two  trees  nearest  the  gate  may  in  time  form  an  arch 
over  it.  At  r,  near  the  front  of  the  house,  may  be  the  dwarf 
Hudson’s  Bay  fir,  Picea  hudsonicay  or  the  low  dwarf  silver-fir,  Picea 
pedinata  compaday  or  the  slender  Irish  juniper.  The  shrubs  near 
!3 


194 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


the  house-wall  may  be  low-growing  roses,  or  rhododendrons  alter- 
nated with  the  scarlet  salvia  among  them.  In  the  inner  angles  of  the 
bay-window,  if  of  brick,  we  would  have  the  English  ivy,  or  the 
Virginia  creeper  ; if  of  wood,  then  some  rhododendron  of  medium 
height,  and  around  them  at  y and  z,  compact  masses  of  the  smallest 
sorts  ; or  one  side  may  be  more  quickly  filled  with  a single  pink 
deutzia,  and  the  other  with  a tartarian  bush  honeysuckle.  The 
shrubs  at  the  corner  of  the  rear  veranda  may  be  the  Chinese  sub- 
evergreen honeysuckle  on  the  post ; a Swedish  juniper  next  to  it ; 
and  the  erect  yew,  the  golden  yew,  and  the  golden  arbor-vitae 
around  the  juniper. 

The  materials  for  the  flower-beds  s}  t>  u , wt  x,  need  not  be 

specified  in  detail. 

The  border  back  of  the  rear  walk  represents  currant  bushes. 
It  might  better  be  a grape-trellis. 


Plate  XVI. 

A large  Mansion  on  an  In-Lot  of  two  hundred  feet  front  by  three 
hundred  a?id  forty  feet  deep. 

This  house  is,  in  size,  much  above  the  average  of  suburban 
homes,  and  the  area  of  the  lot  is  sufficient  to  harmonize  with  the 
mansion-character  of  the  house.*  The  arrangement  of  the  drive- 
way is  quite  simple.  The  house  being  placed  nearly  in  the  middle 
of  the  width  of  the  lot,  and  the  stable,  vegetable-garden,  and 
orchard,  occupying  the  rear  third  of  the  length  of  it,  there  is  not  an 
extent  of  lawn  in  proportion  to  the  depth  of  the  lot ; the  ground 
design  being  in  this  respect  inferior  to  that  of  Plate  XI,  where  a 
lot  forty  feet  shorter  has  a lawn  much  longer.  The  difference  is 
mainly  in  the  greater  extent  of  the  orchard,  the  vegetable-garden 
and  the  stable  yard  on  the  plan  now  under  consideration  ; and  the 
different  positions  of  the  mansion  and  the  stable  on  the  respective 


* The  vignette  at  the  head  of  Chapter  VI  is  from  a drawing  of  this  house,  kindly  furnished 
by  the  architect,  R.  W.  Bunnell,  Esq.,  of  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  but  the  grounds  as  there  shown  are 
not  intended  to  illustrate  this  plan. 


Plate  AVI 


Orthtvrd 


Dining  R * 


1 Library 


Parlor 


Stable  Yard 


Alley. 


Raspberries  ami  Mavkbn  ries  'WPS 


/ 'cyria  /)  /<•  , 


S 


r- 


r 

" . 

■ 


AND  G R O U ND  $. 


195 


lots.  The  design  of  Plate  XI  is  for  a front  to  the  east;  the  house 
is  therefore  placed  near  the  north  side  of  the  lot,  the  exposures  of 
the  principal  rooms  are  to  the  east,  south,  and  west,  and  the  views 
out  of  them  are  made  longer  and  nobler  by  thus  crowding  the 
house  and  all  its  utilitarian  appendages  towards  that  side.  The 
present  plan  is  suited  to  a lot  having  a frontage  to  the  south,  and 
the  plan  calls  for  an  equally  good  exposure  for  the  rooms  on  both 
sides  of  the  house.  The  liberal  space  allowed  for  orchard,  vegeta- 
ble-garden and  stable-yard  necessarily  deprives  the  ground  of  the 
fine  air  that  longer  and  broader  stretches  of  unbroken  lawn  pro- 
duce ; but  each  of  the  principal  rooms  having  exposures  differing 
essentially  from  the  others,  the  variety  of  views  must  atone  for  their 
want  of  extent. 

The  carriage-entrances  to  this  place  are  shown  nearer  to  the 
corners  than  they  should  be.  On  so  broad  a front  there  should  be 
twenty  feet  instead  of  ten,  between  the  drive  at  the  entrances  and 
the  nearest  part  of  the  adjacent  lots.  Premising  this  alteration  to 
be  made  in  the  plan,  the  only  change  in  the  planting  would  be  that 
the  trees  B,  C,  and  I,  J,  shall  be  planted  nearer  together,  and  more 
nearly  at  right-angles,  than  parallel,  with  the  front  of  the  lot.  The 
capital  letters  on  the  plan  are  used  to  designate  the  larger  class  of 
trees  of  a permanent  character,  and  the  small  letters,  the  shrubs 
and  very  small  trees. 

Though  this  is  an  in-lot,  and  generally  margined  by  high  fences 
and  close  plantations,  one  opening  on  each  side  has  been  left  to 
give  views  across  neighbor-lots  which  are  supposed  to  warrant 
it.  If  the  reader  will  follow  on  the  plan  we  will  select  trees  and 
shrubs  as  follows : on  the  left  of  the  left-hand  gate  as  we  enter 
may  be  a weeping  willow,  midway  between  the  drive  and  the  ad- 
joining lot  line,  and  ten  feet  from  the  front.  The  margin,  b,  b , is 
to  be  planted  with  a dense  mass  of  fine  common  shrubs,  or  left 
more  open,  accordingly  as  the  neighbor-lot  at  that  point  is  pleas- 
ing or  the  reverse.  B,  is  a golden  willow ; and  C,  a weeping  birch. 
All  these  trees  grow  with  great  rapidity.  D,  may  be  a weeping 
beech  ; E,  a group  of  three  sassafras  trees  ; F (nearest  the  house), 
the  Kolrenteria paniculata  ; F (nearest  the  street),  the  purple-leaved 
sycamore  maple ; G (northwest  of  the  bed-room),  the  golden-leaved 


196 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


sycamore  maple ; H (though  it  is  not  so  marked),  we  would  pre- 
fer to  make  a pair  of  pines,  the  Austrian  and  the  white,  the  former 
in  the  rear  of  the  latter.  The  pine  tree  directly  west  of  the  bed- 
room may  be  either  the  white,  Austrian,  Bhotan,  or  Pyrenean, 
the  two  latter  being  the  most  interesting,  but  of  uncertain  lon- 
gevity. Beginning  at  the  right-hand  front  entrance,  J,  K,  may  be 
Scotch  weeping  elms,  and  I,  the  Scamston  elm.  The  shrubbery  at 
and  near  the  entrance  is  for  effect  during  the  first  ten  years  after 
planting,  and  to  be  removed  when  the  elms  shadow  that  entrance 
sufficiently.  At  L,  plant  a Kolreuteria  paniculata  ; at  M,  the 
paulonia ; at  N and  O,  weeping  birches  ; at  P,  the  Magnolia 
machrophylla ; at  Q,  Nordmanns  fir;  at  R,  a Magnolia  tripetata ; 
at  S,  the  weeping  beech ; at  T,  a white  or  Austrian  pine ; at  U,  a 
hemlock  screen;  at  V,  a group  of  Norway  spruces.  The  fruit  trees 
on  the  plan  may  be  known  by  their  symbols. 

Of  shrubbery  and  shrubby  trees  the  middle  group  (unlettered) 
near  the  front  is  the  most  important,  as  it  is  visible  from  almost 
every  point  of  view  in  and  near  the  grounds.  Measured  on  the 
curved  line  of  its  centre,  it  is  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  may  be  made 
an  artistic  miniature  arboretum  of  choice  things,  either  evergreens 
or  deciduous ; but  should  be  all  one  or  the  other,  on  its  upper 
outline  ; though  the  under-shrubs  may  be  deciduous  and  evergreen 
mingled.  In  either  case  its  arrangement  should  be  planned,  and 
its  materials  selected  by  a skillful  gardener.  It  is  impracticable,  in 
the  limits  of  this  work,  to  present  the  working  details  for  such 
groups  on  a scale  that  can  be  readily  followed  ; we  therefore 
merely  suggest  that  the  centre  should  be  made  with  something 
that  will  not  exceed  twenty  feet  in  height  at  maturity,  and  the 
group  should  diminish  in  height  at  the  sides,  so  that  the  points 
may  be  occupied  by  interesting  dwarfs  that  may  be  overlooked  by 
persons  passing  on  the  sidewalk. 

The  shrubberies  at  a , and  b,  b,  b,  b , ✓/,  and  e,  are  simply  masses 
of  the  good  old  syringas,  lilacs,  honeysuckles,  snow-balls,  currants, 
altheas,  and  the  newer  weigelas,  deutzias,  spireas,  and  other  shrubs, 
which  may  be  arranged  in  a hundred  different  ways  to  give  the 
foliage  and  forms  of  each  a good  setting. 

The  small  tree  at  c , may  be  the  American  red-bud  or  Judas  tree. 


A ND  G R O U N D S. 


197 


Cercis  canadensis ; at  f Magnolia  conspicua  ; at  g,  Magnolia  mach- 
rophylla  ; at  //,  a mass  of  hemlocks  ; at  /,  a pair  of  weeping  Japan 
sophoras ; and  behind  them  the  white-flowering  dogwood,  the 
broad-leaved  euonymus,  and  the  variegated-leaved  elder ; at  /,  a 
Norway  spruce  in  front  of  a hemlock  hedge  ; at  k (near  the  front 
veranda),  a dwarf  white  pine  in  the  centre,  the  Hudson’s  Bay  fir  on 
one  side,  and  the  dwarf  silver-fir,  Picea  pectinata  compacta,  on  the 
other.  While  these  are  small,  fill  in  between  them  with  low  com- 
pact rhododendrons.  At  / and  jw,  Austrian  pines  headed  back 
from  time  to  time  to  force  a dense  growth  ; at  /z,  «,  n,  a belt  of 
hemlocks  and  arbor-vitaes ; o,  Sargent’s  hemlock ; p,  the  weeping 
juniper,  y.  oblonga  pcndula , or  the  Indian  catalpa.  The  shrubbery 
adjoining  the  house  on  the  east  side  may  be  composed  largely  of 
rhododendrons ; on  the  west  side,  of  shrubs  and  bedding-plants 
that  flourish  in  great  light  and  heat. 

The  rose-bed  adjoining  the  front  middle  group  may  be  omitted 
without  detriment  to  the  plan,  and  a smaller  rose-bed  made  in  the 
triangle  formed  by  the  intersecting  branches  of  the  carriage-road, 
where  a vase  is  marked,  for  which  a rose-post  may  be  substituted. 
Besides  the  climbing  roses  to  be  planted  one  on  each  side  of  the 
post,  there  will  be  room  in  this  triangle  for  three  compact  rose- 
bushes. 

The  flower-beds  and  vases  shown  on  the  plan  need  no  explana- 
tion to  the  intelligent  reader. 

We  desire  to  call  the  reader’s  attention  to  the  fact  that  this 
house-plan,  and  the  size  and  form  of  the  lot,  are  precisely  the  same 
as  in  Plate  XVII,  following ; but  the  lots  have  different  exposures, 
the  houses  are  placed  quite  differently  on  them,  and  the  ground 
designs  are  totally  changed  to  suit  the  circumstances.  A com- 
parison of  the  two  is  a good  study. 


198 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


Plate  XVII. 

A large  Mansion  occupying  one  end  of  a Block , with  streets  on  three 
sides , and  an  alley  on  the  fourth. 

Having  already  called  the  reader’s  attention  to  the  identity  of 
this  house-plan  with  that  of  Plate  XVI,  and  to  the  fact  that  the 
lots  are  of  the  same  size  and  form,  but  otherwise  differently  cir- 
cumstanced, we  will  briefly  sketch  the  peculiarities  of  this  design. 
The  lot  is  200  x 340  feet.  It  is  supposed  to  be  desirable  that  the 
house  should  front  on  the  street  that  occupies  the  long  side  of  the 
lot.  The  house  and  stable  conveniences  occupy  so  much  room, 
that  if  the  house  were  thrown  back  to  introduce  a carriage-road  to 
the  front  steps,  it  would  be  crowded  close  to  the  alley ; and  even 
then  the  drive  would  be  so  short  as  to  belittle  the  noble  char- 
acter of  the  house  and  lot.  The  mansion  is,  therefore,  placed 
so  far  towards  the  front  that  its  entrance  porch  is  but  forty 
feet  from  the  street ; a carriage-road  to  the  front  is  dispensed 
with,  and  a broad  straight  foot-walk  alone  conducts  to  the  front 
steps.  The  private  carriage-entrance  is  by  a straight  road  from 
the  side  street  to  the  steps  of  the  back  veranda,  and  the  coach- 
yard  ; and  the  family  can  get  into  their  vehicles  there,  or  in 
front,  at  their  option.  For  visitors,  a landing  on  the  side- 
walk is  quite  convenient  enough  to  the  front  door  for  all  ordinary 
occasions. 

It  will  be  seen  at  a glance  that  the  distribution  and,  arrange- 
ment of  the  useful  and  the  decorative  parts  of  this  plan  are  un- 
usually convenient  and  beautiful;  and  that  a place  carried  out  in 
conformity  to  it  would  produce  a more  elegant  effect,  faith  the 
same  materials  and  expense,  than  the  plan  of  Plate  XVI.  This 
difference  is  not  to  be  attributed  to  the  greater  street  exposure  of 
this  plan,  or  to  the  different  position  of  the  house  on  the  lot,  which 
the  surrounding  streets  necessitate ; but  is  principally  the  result 
of  a more  happy  distribution  of  the  several  parts.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  plan  with  greater  economy  in  the  use  of  space.  But 
the  form  and  exposure  of  the  lot  on  the  plate  alluded  to,  will 


. 


♦ 


A ND  GUO  UND  S. 


199 


permit  of  modifications  in  the  arrangement  of  its  parts  that  for 
some  persons  might  prove  improvements. 

To  offset  the  greater  length  of  carriage-road  which  the  lot  as 
planned  on  Plate  XVI  exhibits,  this  plan  calls  for  a much  greater 
length  of  foot-walks.  In  vegetable  garden  and  orchard  ground,  the 
two  plans  are  nearly  equal.  This  one,  however,  lacks  a stable- 
yard,  that  is  shown  in  the  former ; which  may  be  provided,  if 
needed,  by  placing  the  carriage-house  directly  in  the  rear  of  the 
residence,  and  enclosing  a space  between  the  former  and  the 
vegetable-garden.  If  this  were  done,  however,  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  cut  off  a view  of  the  coach-yard  from  the  main  hall  looking 
through  the  back  veranda. 

A peculiar  arrangement  of  shrubbery  will  be  observed  in  front 
of  the  house.  The  latter  being  close  to  the  street,  it  is  desirable 
to  cover  it  from  too  close  and  continuous  observation  of  the  passer- 
by, as  far  as  can  be  done  without  belittling  the  main  entrance  way, 
or  crowding  shrubbery  close  to  the  veranda.  The  walk  opening, 
on  the  street  line,  is  sixteen  feet  wide — the  gate  being  in  a bay. 
For  this  distance  the  entire  front  of  the  house,  as  well  as  charming 
vistas  of  the  lawns  on  each  side,  are  in  full  view ; and  the  im- 
pression of  the  place  obtained  here  would  be  the  finest.  But 
passing  either  way,  beyond  this  opening,  along  the  sidewalk,  the 
lower  part  of  the  house  is  entirely  concealed  by  the  two  diverging 
masses  of  shrubbery,  a , a,  which,  while  they  thus  act  as  a partial 
screen  of  the  veranda  and  lower  windows,  open  out  so  as  to  leave 
a fine  expanse  in  front  of  the  house  in  lawn,  vases,  and  flowers. 
Two  horse-chestnut  trees  at  the  points  of  these  groups  will  make 
an  appropriate  flanking  for  the  front  entrance. 

Though  this  plan  may  not  be  impracticable  whatever  the  point 
of  the  . compass  its  front  faces,  yet  the  most  beautiful  interior  ef- 
fects— that  is,  as  seen  from  the  house,  and  within  the  grounds — 
will  be  realized  by  a frontage  to  the  north  ; while  the  best  effect 
as  seen  from  the  streets  will  be  produced  by  a frontage  to  the 
south — either  a north  or  south  front  being  better  for  this  plan  than 
one  to  the  east  or  west. 

The  following  is  one  selection  of  trees  and  shrubs  for  the 
place — the  capital  letters  indicating  the  large  trees,  and  the  small 


200 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


letters  the  inferior  trees  and  shrubbery.  A and  B are  the  purple- 
leaved and  the  golden-leaved  sycamore  maples ; C,  the  weeping 
willow ; D,  the  weeping  beech ; E and  F,  the  common  and  the 
cut-leaved  weeping  birches  ; G,  the  ginkgo  or  Salisburia  tree  ; H, 
the  purple-leaved  beech  ; I,  the  Kolreuteria  paniculata  ; J,  J,  the 
red-flowering,  and  the  double  white-flowering  horse-chestnuts  ; 
K,  K,  a pair  of  pines  in  each  place — the  Bhotan  ( excelsa ) and 
white  pine  in  one,  and  the  Bhotan  and  Austrian  in  the  other — to 
be  planted  six  feet  apart,  the  Bhotan  on  the  north  side  in  both 
cases ; L,  white  pine ; M,  Austrian  pine ; on  the  right  of  N,  the 
weeping  Norway  spruce ; and  on  the  left,  the  Cembran  pine,  or 
(south  of  New  York  and  near  the  sea)  the  cypress,  Glypto-strobus 
s mens  is ; O,  the  white  or  the  Austrian  pine,  as  the  soil  maybe 
better  for  one  or  the  other  ; P,  a mass  and  belt  of  hemlocks  ; Q,  a 
weeping  Scotch  elm ; R,  the  grape-leaved  linden  ; S,  nearest  the 
intersection  of  the  walks,  the  sugar  maple,  and  to  the  right  of  it 
the  purple-leaved  sycamore  maple ; T and  V a mass  of  Austrian 
pines,  with  an  undergrowth  of  hemlocks ; U,  catalpa ; W,  a pair 
of  weeping  Norway  spruces,  with  hemlocks  behind  them ; X,  the 
weeping  silver-fir  backed  by  hemlocks  and  flanked  with  a group 
of  rhododendrons  ; Y,  a pair  of  pines,  the  white  and  the  Pyrenean, 
six  feet  apart ; Z,  the  Austrian  and  the  Bhotan  pines,  the  same 
distance  apart. 

Of  the  shrubbery  we  can  indicate  only  the  general  character  of 
the  groups,  and  name  specimens  only  when  standing  singly,  or  a 
few  in  a group.  The  masses  a , a , may  be  shrubs  of  fine  common 
sorts,  the  taller  in  the  centre  line  of  the  group,  and  the  margins 
filled  in  with  rhododendrons;  or  may  be  composed  entirely  of 
evergreens,  such  as  the  arbor-vitaes,  yews,  dwarf  firs,  junipers,  and 
pines,  with  rhododendrons  and  azalias  among  them.  The  de- 
ciduous shrubs,  however,  would  make  a fine  border  in  much  less 
time,  and  at  less  expense  than  the  latter.  At  b,  a WeigeZa  amabilis 
in  the  centre,  and  on  each  side  the  weigelas  rosea  and  hortaisia 
nivea ; at  e,  the  two  deutzias  cre?iaia  alba  and  crenata  rubra  flore 
plena ; at  dt  d,  d,  d,  d,  masses  of  common  shrubs,  not  allowed  to 
exceed  seven  feet  in  height,  forced  to  make  a dense  mass  at  the 
bottom,  and  planted  to  form  an  irregular  outline  next  to  the  lawn ; 


A ND  G R O U N D S. 


201 


at  e , the  oblong  weeping  juniper,  J.  oblojiga  pendula  ; f a pair  of 
weeping  Japan  sophoras  grafted  nine  feet  high,  and  planted  ten 
feet  apart ; g,  the  Chinese  white  magnolia ; //,  a mass  of  rhododen- 
drons and  purple  magnolias ; i,  i,  hemlock  gateway  arches — the 
hemlocks  to  form  a dense  screen  for  ten  or  fifteen  feet  on  each  side 
of  the  arch;  j,  the  Hudson’s  Bay  fir;  k,  the  Magnolia  machrophylla ; 
/(adjoining  the  house),  amass  of  evergreens  of  dwarf  character, 
including  rhododendrons,  kalmias,  and  azalias ; m and  n,  hemlock 
screens ; o , a mass  of  rhododendrons.  The  small  group  under  the 
corners  of  the  drawing-room  bay-windows  may  be  composed  of  the 
English  or  Irish  ivys  in  the  corners,  and  low  varieties  of  rhododen- 
drons ; or,  of  brilliant  bedding-plants  alone. 

This  place  is  large  enough  to  make  a conservatory  a desirable 
feature.  If  wanted  in  connection  with  the  house,  by  using  the 
room  marked  P as  a library-room,  the  room  L (if  that  side  of 
the  house  has  an  east  exposure)  would  be  an  admirable  place 
for  it.  If  a distinct  structure  is  preferred,  a good  place  would 
be  on  a line  with  the  carriage-road,  and  ten  feet  from  it,  in  the 
corner  of  the  orchard  nearest  the  house. 

The  large  flower-bed  near  L is  intended  for  large  bedding 
plants.  The  great  rose-bed  at  the  intersection  of  the  walks  on  the 
right  would  require  to  be  filled  with  uncommon  skill  to  make  it 
pleasing  throughout  the  summer  season,  though  it  may  be  superbly 
beautiful  in  June,  and  interesting  under  ordinary  treatment,  with 
partial  bloom,  until  frosts.  In  winter  and  early  spring,  however,  it 
can  hardly  be  otherwise  than  unsightly.  A group  for  that  place, 
of  more  continuous  beauty,  which  will  cost  less  labor  in  its  main- 
tenance, may  be  composed  of  the  following  evergreens: — for  the 
centre  the  weeping  Norway  spruce  ( inverta ) ; around  it  the  follow- 
ing, the  positions  for  which  must  be  determined  by  a study  of  their 
characters  : the  Sargent  hemlock,  Parson’s  dwarf  hemlock,  varie- 
gated-leaved tree-box,  golden  and  weeping  arbor-vitaes,  the  erect 
yew  ( erecta ),  the  golden  yew,  the  Cephalotaxus  fortnnii  mascula,  the 
Podocarpus  japonica , the  creeping  juniper  (r opens),  the  juniper 
repanda  densa , the  juniper  oblonga  pendula , the  juniper  spceroides , 
the  Hudson’s  Bay  fir  hudsonica,  and  the  dwarf  firs,  Picea  pectinata 
comp  acta  and  Abies  gregoriana. 


202 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


The  group  of  large  flower-beds  opposite  the  library  window, 
with  a vase  in  the  centre,  should  be  filled  with  rather  low  flowers, 
and  made  as  continuously  brilliant  as  possible.  Forming  the  fore- 
ground of  a fine  stretch  of  lawn  beyond  them,  the  view  as  seen 
from  the  main  window  of  this  room  may  be  made  quite  elegant 
and  park-like  in  its  effect. 


Plate  XVIII. 

Plan  for  a Reside?ice  of  Medium  Size , with  Stable  and  Carriage- 
house,  Orchard ’ and  Vegetable-garden , oti  a Corner- Lot  200  x 300 
feet. 

Here  we  have  a house  of  moderate  size  on  a lot  which  gives 
ample  space  around  it,  and  which  is  provided  with  length  of  car- 
riage-road disproportioned  to  the  size  of  the  house.  It  is  suited  to 
the  use  of  a small  family,  who  entertain  much  company,  and  keep 
horses  and  carriages. 

The  location  of  a large  kitchen-garden  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  lot,  where  the  lawn  might  be  extended  with  fine  effect,  as  in 
Plates  XI  and  XIII,  was  made  in  order  to  place  the  orchard  away 
from  the  side  street,  and  the  enterprise  of  bad  boys.  The  vegeta- 
ble-garden offers  few  temptations  for  moonlight  poachers  over  a 
street-fence,  but  an  orchard  in  the  same  place  is  almost  irresisti- 
ble. By  interposing  the  kitchen-garden  between  it  and  the  stfeet, 
the  fruit  is  safer.  Were  it  not  for  this  reason  we  would  decidedly 
prefer  to  have  the  kitchen-garden  back  of  the  house,  the  orchard 
on  the  south  side  of  the  lot,  and  so  arranged  that  the  ground  under 
the  trees  should  appear  to  be  a prolongation  of  the  south  lawn. 
The  plan  being  made  with  reference  to  the  protection  of  the 
orchard,  sacrifices  to  this  object  Rule  I,  of  Chapter  XI — there  being 
no  length  of  lawn  on  the  lot  commensurate  with  its  size.  Yet 
the  manner  of  grouping,  in  those  portions  of  the  lot  which  are  in 
lawn,  is  such  as  to  conceal  this  defect  in  a great  degree  from  the 
eye  of  an  observer  in  the  street,  or  in  the  house ; though  it  is  evi- 
dent enough  on  the  paper  plan. 


Curra.nl  n 


Fiau*  xm 


H tar k berries 


Cow -yard  if-  man.  are 


£ ] Carriage 


W*"'< 

' Croquet 
c c Or  on mi ' 


/ 


A ND  G R O UND  S. 


203 


We  have  alluded  to  the  length  of  carriage-road  on  this  lot  as 
disproportioned  to  the  size  of  the  residence.  This  is  so  decided 
that  we  must  consider  the  plan  as  an  example  of  a fault  to  be 
avoided,  rather  than  a plan  to  be  followed.  Not  only  the  length  ' 
of  the  drive  is  objectionable  for  a residence  of  this  simple 
character,  but  also  the  corner  entrance,  which  is  usually  the 
least  convenient  point  for  crossing  the  street-gutters  and  the 
side-walks.  Plate  X shows  a much  more  sensible  entrance  and  car- 
riage-way. 

In  other  respects  this  plan  is  better  ; the  grouping  being  such 
as  would  give  very  pleasing  effects,  whether  looking  towards  the 
house  or  from  it.  On  the  south  are  several  openings  to  the  street, 
and  on  the  north  one  only,  connecting  with  private  grounds  on 
that  side. 

Supposing  the  roads,  walks,  orchard,  and  garden  to  have  been 
laid  out  as  shown  by  the  plan,  the  following  trees  and  shrubs  are 
suggested  for  some  of  the  principal  places.  The  lines  conforming 
in  part  to  the  forms  of  the  groups  of  shrubs  are  intended  to  show 
the  form  of  beds  to  be  enriched  and  prepared  for  them. 

The  group  at  a , on  the  left  of  the  corner  entrance-way,  to  be 
composed  of  a weeping  willow  or  a weeping  Scotch  elm  in  the 
centre,  and  the  three  best  varieties  of  dogwood  on  the  three  points 
of  the  group ; — the  bed  to  be  filled,  while  these  are  growing,  with 
spreading  shrubs  of  low  growth.  The  group,  on  the  right  of  the 
same  entrance,  to  have  an  American  weeping  elm  in  the  centre, 
and  at  /,  /,  k,  and  /,  the  American  and  European  Judas  trees,  the 
broad-leaved  strawberry  tree  ( Enonymus  latifolius ),  and  the  dog- 
wood ( Cornus  florida) ; and  between  them  the  syringas,  weigelas, 
variegated  elder,  flowering  currants,  etc.,  etc. 

The  trees  at  b and  c may  be  the  double-flowering  white  and  the 
red-flowering  horse-chestnuts  ; between  them  and  the  fence  a mass 
of  large  shrubs.  At  //,  a weeping  beech  ; between  it  and  the  fence 
plant  shrubs,  to  be  removed  when  the  beech  needs  all  the  space ; 
near  the  fence  Siberian  arbor-vitaes  to  form  a concave  hedge  to, 
and  across,  (overarching)  the  side-entrance  gate.  At  e,  ten  feet 
from  both  the  walk  and  the  drive,  a pair  of  sassafras  trees  four  feet 
apart,  with  an  oval  mass  of  low  spreading  shrubs — spireas,  flower- 


204 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


ing-currants,  berberries,  deutzias,  red-twigged  dogwoods,  and  honey- 
suckles around  them.  At  f a choice  selection  of  the  most  pleasing 
shrubs,  either  deciduous  or  evergreen  ; of  the  latter  an  assortment 
of  the  best  rhododendrons  will  make  a superb  group.  At  g , a 
Magnolia  machrophylla ; h,  nearest  the  house,  the  Kolreuteria 
paniculata;  h,  near  the  gate,  the  osage  orange.  At  o,  in  the 
centre  of  the  front,  a purple  beech ; at  ?n  and  groups  composed 
of  the  weeping  Norway  spruce  (inver/a)  for  the  centres,  and  the 
golden  arbor-vitae,  and  the  erect  yew  ( Taxns  slricta  or  erect  a),  the 
golden  yew  and  the  Podocarpus  japonica , on  opposite  sides  of  them. 
If  for  this  central  space  it  is  desired  to  make  a quick  mass  of 
foliage  in  the  place  of  these  small  groups,  a weeping  willow,  or  a 
group  of  two  or  three  osage  orange  trees  planted  at  o , a group  of 
deutzias  at  and  of  weigelas  or  bush  honeysuckles  at  n , will 
quickly  effect  it.  At  the  left  of  the  gateway  on  the  right,  a pair  of 
pines,  the  white  and  Austrian  ; p and  the  dwarf  mountain  pine 
(P.  pumila ) and  the  mugho  pine  (P.  mugho)  ; r,  the  dwarf  white 
pine  ; and  between  these,  while  small,  plant  evergreen  shrubs.  At 
j-,  is  a belt  of  shrubs  terminated  by  a pair  of  pines,  the  Austrian 
and  the  Bhotan.  At  /,  a pair  of  weeping  birches ; at  u , u>  two 
pairs  of  trees,  the  purple-leaved  and  the  gold-leaved  sycamore- 
maples  at  one  end,  and  the  sugar  and  scarlet-maples  at  the  other, 
each  pair  near  together  ; and  between  the  trees,  while  they  are 
young,  a group  of  deciduous  shrubbery.  At  v,  a Magnolia  soulan- 
gea?ia ; at  w,  the  weeping  silver-fir  (Picea  pectinata  pendula)  ; along 
the  boundary  of  the  lot  in  the  rear  of  w,  a belt  of  hemlocks  broken 
by  an  occasional  spur  of  spruce  or  pine  trees ; x , x,  x , weeping 
arbor-vitaes,  junipers,  or  other  elegant  slender  evergreens  ; and  at 
z,  another  Magnolia  machrophylla . On  so  large  a place  there  will 
be  room  around  the  house,  and  in  the  various  groups,  and  along 
the  marginal  belts  of.  trees  and  shrubs,  to  introduce  a hundred 
things  which  we  have  not  named ; and  a reference  to  the  plate  of 
symbols  in  connection  with  the  ground-plan  will  explain  what 
we  have  not  touched  upon. 


YLLEY 


/ 


STREET 


A ND  G R 0 UND S , 


205 


Plate  XIX. 

>/»j  *j. 

Plan  for  a Residence  of  Medium  Size  on  a Corner  Lot  150  x 200  feetr 
with  no  provision  for  keeprng  a horse  or  carriage. 

This  house-plan  is  the  same  as  that  on  Plate  XVIII,  but  the 
lot  is  only  one-half  the  depth  of  that  one,  though  the  frontage  is 
the  same.  The  street  on  the  longer  side  being  supposed  the  most 
desirable  to  front  upon,  the  division  of  the  lot  in  lawn,  fruit,  and 
vegetable-garden,  resembles,  on  a smaller  scale,  that  of  Plate 
XVII ; though  on  this  the  direct  walk  to  the  front  door  is  dis- 
pensed with,  and  only  the  entrances  at  the  two  front  corners  of  the 
lot  are  used.  This  is  rarely  a desirable  arrangement,  but  the  ex- 
pression aimed  at  in  the  design  of  this  lot  is  extreme  openness  and 
breadth  of  lawn,  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  lot.  To  dispense 
with  a walk  directly  from  the  street  to  the  front  door  increases  this 
expression,  but  it  is  not  essential  to  it.  If  the  members  of  the 
family  who  occupy  the  house  rarely  use  a carriage,  it  is  not  a 
matter  of  much  importance  to  have  a direct  front  walk ; especially 
if  all  the  travel  to  and  from  the  house  is  along  the  street,  so  that 
one  corner  gate  or  the  other  makes  a nearer  approach  than  a walk 
in  the  centre  only.  But  if  the  family  have  often  occasion  to  ride, 
the  side-entrances  will  seem  an  awkward  detour ; and  we  would 
then  by  all  means  dispense  with  the  walk  which  runs  nearly 
parallel  with  the  street,  and  have  a broad  straight  walk  to  the 
front  porch,  and  a smaller  walk  to  the  rear  of  the  house,  nearly 
as  here  represented.  This  would,  of  course,  involve  considerable 
changes  in  the  plan  for  planting. 

An  alley  is  supposed  to  bound  the  lot  on  the  left ; a shed  and 
cow-house*  and  small  cow-yard  are  therefore  represented  in  the 
rear  corner  on  that  side,  and  an  arbor-vitae  hedge  is  to  be  planted 
inside  the  fence  along  the  alley.  Ten  feet  from  the  alley,  and 


* The  grass  from  the  lawn,  on  such  a place  as  this,  if  fed  as  cut,  is  more  than  enough  to  supply 
one  cow  with  green  food  for  seven  months  of  the  year ; — probably,  together  with  the  pail-feed  from 
the  house,  enough  to  keep  two  cows. 


20G 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


back  of  the  front  line  of  the  house,  is  a row  of  four  cherry  trees, 
and  two  others  are  indicated  on  the  rear  part  of  the  croquet-ground. 
Six  standard  pear  trees,  on  the  other  side  of  the  house,  form  a row 
parallel  with  a continuous  grape-trellis  which  divides  the  lawn  from 
the  vegetable-garden.  Some  peach  trees  may  be  planted  in  the 
garden-square  next  the  cow-house.  The  borders  by  the  fences 
around  the  back  of  the  lot  furnish  ample  room  for  currants,  rasp- 
berries, and  blackberries. 

The  decorative  planting  of  the  lawn-ground  may  be  as  follows : 
on  each  side  of  the  gateway,  at  a , plant  a group  of  pines,  white, 
Austrian,  and  Bhotan,  to  be  clipped  when  they  begin  to  trespass 
on  the  walk,  and  to  overarch  it  when  large  enough.  The  group  on 
the  left  of  the  walk,  directly  in  front  of  the  same  entrance,  should 
be  composed  of  shrubby  evergreen  trees  or  shrubs,  diminishing  to 
those  of  small  size  at  the  point.  At  the  weeping  silver-fir.  At 
c , c , fifteen  feet  from  the  front  corners  of  the  house,  a pair  of  either 
of  the  following  species,  of  the  varieties  named  : — of  beeches,  the 
purple-leaved  and  the  fern-leaved ; of  birches,  the  old  weeping  and 
the  cut-leaved  weeping ; of  horse-chestnuts,  the  double-white  and 
the  red-flowering ; of  lindens,  the  American  basswood  and  the 
grape-leaved  ; of  magnolias,  the  machrophylla  and  the  cordata ; of 
mountain  ashes,  the  oak-leaved ; of  maples,  the  purple-leaved 
and  the  gold-leaved  sycamore ; of  oaks,  the  scarlet  ( coccinea ) on 
both  sides  ; of  tulip  trees  (whitewood),  there  being  no  distinct 
varieties,  the  same  on  both  sides,  or  a tulip  tree  on  one  side,  and  a 
virgilia  or  Magnolia  cordata  on  the  other.  Our  own  choice  among 
these  would  be  of  birches,  maples,  or  horse-chestnuts. 

At  d,  the  face  of  the  hedge  may  be  broken  by  a projecting  group 
of  yews  and  arbor-vitaes.  At  e}  a group  of  rhododendrons.  At/ and 
g any  one  of  the  following  deciduous  species  of  small  low  trees,  if 
grown  with  care  and  symmetry,  viz.:  the  Indian  catalpa  ( C . hima - 
layciisis ) south  of  Philadelphia;  the  Chinese  cypress  ( Glypto-stro- 
bns  sinensis)  ; the  silver-bell  ( Halesia  tctraptcrci)  ; the  sassafras 
(although  rather  large  for  the  place) ; the  dwarf  horse-chestnuts, 
Pavia  coccinea , P.  pumila  pcndula}  and  P.  cornea  superba;  the  Euro- 
pean bird  cherry,  Prunus  padus ; the  American  white-flowering 
and  the  Cornelian  cherry  dogwoods,  C.  Jlorida  and  C.  mas ; the 


AND  GROUNDS. 


207 


American  and  the  European  Judas  trees;  the  magnolias,  Chinese 
white  ( conspicua ),  and  the  showy-flowered  ( speciosa ) ; the  dwarf 
profuse-flowering  mountain  ash  (nana  floribunda) ; the  weeping 
Japan  sophora;  the  double  scarlet-thorn  ( coccmea  flore  plena)) 
the  weeping  larch ; the  Kilmarnock  willow ; the  large-flowered 
rose-acacia  (grandiplora),  if  trained  and  carefully  supported  when 
young ; the  American  and  the  broad-leaved  strawberry  trees  ; the 
largest  and  most  tree-like  lilacs ; the  purple-fringe ; the  syringa, 
zeyheri ; and  the  new  snow-ball  or  viburnum,  V.  machrophyllum, 
are  alb  pleasing  small  trees,  or  tree-like  shrubs,  any  two  of  which 
will  be  appropriate  for  these  two  places.  Our  preference  among 
them  would  be  the  weeping  Japan  sophoras  grafted  from  seven  to 
eight  feet  high.  If  evergreens  are  desired  for  these  two  places,  we 
would  certainly  select  the  weeping  Norway  spruce  ( inverta ) and 
the  weeping  silver-fir.  The  small  group  should  be  made  up  of 
choice  small  evergreens,  yews,  arbor-vitaes,  and  dwarf  firs.  The  pair 
of  deciduous  trees  at  i,  on  the  right,  may  be  a catalpa  and  a pau- 
lonia  for  places  south  of  New  York  ; and  northward,  a pair  of 
sassafras  and  a dogwood  (C.  florida),  to  make  a group  of  three,  or 
a pair  of  Kolreuteria  paniculata  only.  The  group  jf  on  the  upper 
side  of  the  walk,  is  intended  to  be  filled  by  an  Austrian  pine,  sur- 
rounded by  evergreen  shrubs  that  will  form  a dense  mass.  At  k,  a 
Siberian  arbor-vitae,  with  the  erect  yew,  on  one  side,  and  the  golden 
arbor-vitae  on  the  other.  At  /,  an  Irish  juniper.  At  m,  a collec- 
tion of  magnolias,  beginning  with  the  purple-magnolia  nearest  the 
house,  next  to  it  the  Chinese  white,  then  the  M.  soulangeana , and 
at  n,  the  M.  machrophylla , — all  to  be  encouraged  to  branch  as  close 
to  the  ground  as  they  will  grow.  At  o , the  arbor-vitae  compacta, 
or  another  purple  magnolia.  At  /,  the  weeping  beech ; at  a 
group  of  the  following  firs,  beginning  nearest  the  house  with  Nord- 
manns  fir,  next  the  Cephalonian,  and  last  the  Norway  spruce.  At 
r,  another  Magnolia  machrophylla.  At  s,  a Bhotan  pine  if  on  the 
north-  or  east  side,  and  an  Austrian  pine  if  on  the  south  or  west 
side  of  the  house.  The  shrubbery  adjoining  the  house  may  be 
composed  of  a great  variety  of  common  species ; but  none  that 
attain  a height  of  more  than  six  feet  should  be  planted  under  or  in 
front  of  windows  where  they  might  eventually  obstruct  the  views. 


208 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


Plate  XX. 

A Compact  House , on  an  In-Lot  of  ninety-six  feet  front , with  ample 
depth , and  a Lawn  connecting  with  adjoining  neighbors. 

The  main  house  is  here  36  x 40,  and  the  rear  part  20  x 32 
feet.  The  front  veranda  is  ten  feet  in  width,  and  between  it  and 
the  street  the  distance  is  ninety-six  feet.  The  lot  is  one  hundred 
and  ninety-six  feet  in  depth  back  to  the  grape-trellis  that  divides 
the  lawn  from  the  garden,  and  is  supposed  to  have  ample  room 
back  of  this  for  vegetables  and  small  fruits. 

Whether  or  not  the  occupants  of  this  place  keep  horse  and  car- 
riage, the  front  and  sides  of  the  lot  are  designed  without  any  refer 
ence  to  them. 

Floral  embellishment  is  a prominent  feature  of  this  design,  and 
this  is  nearly  all  in  front  of  the  house.  The  walk  with  two  street- 
entrances  encloses  a circle  seventy-two  feet  in  diameter,  on  the 
margin  of  which  the  flower-beds  are  arranged,  leaving  the  interior 
of  the  circle  in  lawn,  unbroken  save  by  a large  low  vase  for  flowers 
in  the  centre.  Most  of  the  interest  of  the  place  being  thus  between 
the  house  and  the  street,  where  exposure  to  passers  on  the  street 
might  annoy  the  occupants  in  the  care  and  enjoyment  of  their 
flowers  and  plants,  it  is  essential  that  this  circle  should  be  hidden 
from  the  street  except  at  the  gateways.  The  reader  already  knows 
• that  we  have  no  sympathy  with  that  churlish  spirit  which  would 
shut  a pleasing  picture  out  of  sight  from  the  sheer  love  of  exclu- 
sive possession  ; but  we  have  respect  for  that  repugnance  which 
most  persons,  and  especially  ladies,  feel  against  a peering  curiosity 
in  their  domestic  enjoyments ; and  as  the  care  of  one’s  flowers  and 
trees  is  one  of  the  sweetest  of  domestic  labors,  we  would  protect 
the  privacy  of  working  hours  among  them  to  an  extent  that  may 
not  degenerate  into  a selfish  exclusiveness.  In  this  plan,  as  en- 
graved, the  mass  of  screening  foliage  is  not  as  large  as  would  be 
necessary,  but  the  trees  as  there  placed  will  form  a sufficient  pro- 
tection after  ten  years  growth  to  insure  a reasonable  privacy  for  the 
floral  lawn.  It  will  be  observed  that  this  is  not  effected  by  a 


■ 


Itesii 


. 


AND  GROUNDS. 


209 


hedge  on  the  street  line,  but  on  the  contrary  the  lawn  is  open 
except  at  the  entrances ; and  one  standing  on  the  sidewalk  at  A, 
though  barred  from  all  view  of  the  circle  by  the  mass  of  evergreens 
opposite,  may  have  pleasing  glimpses  into  the  place  on  the  lines 
A B,  A C,  and  across  these  corners  into  the  adjoining  lot  lawns. 

The  two  front  gateways  should  be  overarched  with  evergreen 
topiary  arches — one  side  with  arbor-vitae,  and  the  other  with  hem- 
locks, firs,  or  pines,  as  the  soil  and  exposure  may  make  one  or  the 
other  preferable.  The  glimpses  into  the  grounds  from  under  either 
of  these  arches  will  extend  the  whole  length  of  the  lawn  back  to 
the  cold  grape-house  on  the  right,  and  from  the  left,  back  to  the 
grape-trellis  that  separates  the  vegetable-garden  from  the  lawn. 
A still  longer  vista  may  be  made  from  the  left-hand  gateway  by 
making  a decorative  arch  in  the  grape-trellis  at  the  end  of  the 
garden-walk  which  corresponds  with  the  one  at  the  end  of  the  cold 
grape-house. 

The  evergreen  group  in  the  middle  of  the  lot  near  the  street 
may  be  composed  as  follows : in  the  centre  two  Nordmanns  firs, 
four  feet  apart,  on  a line  at  right  angles  with  the  street ; on  each 
side  of  these  a mass  of  hemlocks  (say  four  on  each  side)  for  a 
distance  of  sixteen  feet  each  way ; and  at  each  point  of  the  group 
single  specimens  of  the  weeping  silver-fir  and  the  weeping  Norway 
spruce.  This  will  make  the  group  about  forty  feet  from  point  to 
point,  measuring  from  the  stems  of  the  last-named  trees. 

The  trees  which  arch  the  intersections  of  the  entrance-walks 
with  the  circular-walk,  may  be  double  pairs  of  sassafras  on  one 
side,  and  one  pair  of  kolreuterias  on  the  other.  At  c , a weeping 
beech  ; at  g,  the  Chinese  cypress  ( Glypto-strobics  sinensis  penduld) 
south  of  New  York,  and  north  of  it  a group  composed  of  the  weep- 
ing Norway  spruce  in  the  centre,  and  the  following  junipers  around 
it : the  J.  repanda  densa , J.  oblonga  pendula , J.  suecica  nana , J. 
spceroides ; or,  instead  of  the  junipers,  the  following  dwarf  firs,  viz.: 
the  Abies  nigra  pumila,  A.  gregoriana , A.  conica , A.  canadensis  inverta 
(Sargent’s  hemlock),  A.  canadensis  Parsoni  (Parson’s  hemlock),  the 
Picea  pedinata  comp  acta,  and  the  Picea  hudsonica.  At  d and  h,  the 
finest  pines  for  which  the  soil  and  location  are  suited  ; at  e,  the 
Magnolia  cordata;  at  f a group  of  evergreen  shrubs  next  the  fence, 
i4 


210 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


and  a weeping  silver-fir  in  front  of  them,  opposite  the  parlor  bay- 
window.  Two  small  trees  are  indicated  in  front  of  the  corners  of 
the  veranda.  If  small  trees  are  used  in  these  places,  they  may  be 
of  species  like  the  Magnolia  machrophylla , the  double  white-flower- 
ing horse-chestnut,  and  the  virgilia,  which  develop  most  beautifully 
when  branching  near  the  ground,  or,  like  the  weeping  sophora, 
trailing  to  the  ground ; but  if  large  trees  are  chosen,  they  should 
be  of  sorts  which  lift  their  heads  on  clean  stems,  so  that  their 
lower  branches  will  be  above  the  line  of  view  of  persons  standing 
on  the  floor  of  the  house. 

At  the  point  formed  by  the  intersection  of  the  sidewalk  with 
the  circular-walk  there  should  be  an  interesting  collection  of  ever- 
greens of  very  slender,  or  very  dwarf  character.  Near  the  point,  and 
two  feet  from  both  walks,  plant  the  Abies  excelsa  pygmce  ; three  feet 
from  both  walks,  and  back  of  the  former,  the  Picea  pectinata  co7npacta; 
back  of  these,  and  equidistant  between  the  walks,  the  Taxus  erecta  ; 
then,  a little  nearer  to  each  walk  than  the  latter,  put  in  a golden 
arbor-vitae  and  a golden  yew,  so  as  to  make  the  group  in  the  form 
of  a Y.  If  the  proprietor  prefers  to  have  something  new  and 
striking  in  this  location  every  year,  instead  of  waiting  patiently  the 
interesting  development  of  these  dwarfs,  this  point  will  be  an  ap- 
propriate place  for  a skillful  arrangement  of  showy-leaved  bedding- 
plants  ; but  as  there  is  ample  space  for  these  elsewhere,  we  would 
much  prefer  marking  the  intersection  of  the  two  walks  with  some 
permanent  objects  that  may  be  seen  in  winter  and  summer,  and 
which,  by  living  and  growing  year  after  year,  will  at  length  have 
associations  and  a little  history  of  their  own,  and  become  monu- 
mental evidences  of  past  labors.  It  is  well  always  to  mark  the 
divergence  of  two  walks  by  some  permanent  tree  or  group  near  the 
inner  angle  of  intersection,  and  in  the  case  under  consideration,  if 
the  group  of  lilliputian  evergreens  should  seem  too  insignificant  and 
tardy  in  their  development,  or  (being  rarities)  too  expensive,  we 
would  plant  some  spreading  tree  at  this  intersection,  and  recom- 
mend for  that  purpose  the  weeping  birch. 

From  i and  f,  on  opposite  sides  of  the  lot,  the  side  fences 
should  be  bordered  with  evergreen  shrubs  as  far  as  the  back 
line  of  the  main  house,  and  thence  to  the  garden  may  be  covered 


AND  GROUNDS . 


211 


with  grape-vines  or  other  small  fruits,  or  with  a continuous  belt 
of  common  deciduous  shrubs.  Against  the  foundation-walls  of  the 
house  we  would  plant  a continuous  line  of  varieties  of  the  English 
ivy,  even  if  they  creep  permanently  no  higher  than  the  water-table. 
Up  to  that  height  they  often  make  a shrubby  mass  of  evergreen 
foliage,  and  form  a pleasing  back-ground  for  the  finer  shrubs  that 
may  be  grown  near  the  house  in  front  of  them.  For  a running 
vine  on  brick  and  stone  walls,  and  for  draping  windows  and  cor- 
nices with  foliage,  the  American  ivy  or  Virginia  creeper  is  greatly 
superior  in  this  country  to  the  English  ivy.  We  can  go  no  further 
in  designating  the  shrubs  to  plant  near  the  house-walls  than  to 
merely  reiterate  that  they  should  be  of  those  flowering  and  fragrant 
varieties  which  are  usually  full-foliaged,  not  apt  to  get  bare  of  leaves 
at  the  bottom,  and  which  do  not  exceed  six  feet  in  height ; in  short, 
low,  compact,  or  spreading  shrubs. 

The  fruit-tree  features  of  this  place  are  sufficiently  designated 
by  the  symbols. 

There  being  a cold  grape-house  indicated,  it  is  natural  to  sup- 
pose that  flowers  and  bulbs  may  be  forced  in  it,  and  that  the 
care  of  these,  together  with  grounds  embellished  with  so  many 
flowers,  will  involve  the  employment  of  a gardener ; to  whom, 
or  to  the  lady  of  the  house,  we  leave  the  selection  of  the  flowers 
to  be  used  in  filling  the  beds  on  the  margin  of  the  circle,  and 
the  vase  or  basket  in  its  centre. 


Plate  XXI. 

A Plan  for  a Deep  Front  Yard , o?i  an  In-Lot  one  hundred  feet  wide , 
with  the  House  on  a terrace  plateau;  designed  to  harmonize 
architectural  Clnd  gardenesque  forms. 

This  plan  is  a peculiar  study  in  many  respects.  All  the  deco- 
rative portton  of  the  grounds  is  in  front  of  the  house,  and  the 
depth  from  the  street  to  the  house-front  is  even  greater  in  propor- 
tion to  the  width  of  the  lot  than  in  the  preceding  plan.  The 
arrangement  at  the  street-front  is  also  more  simple  and  more 


212 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


formal ; for  here  we  have  a hedge  close  to  the  street  line,  a single 
entrance,  and  a long  straight  walk  in  the  middle  of  the  lot.  To 
this  extent  the  plan  is  simpler  than  the  preceding  one ; but  on 
approaching  the  house  the  style  becomes  more  ornate  and  costly. 
The  house  is  elevated  on  a wide  terrace,  and  the  steps  to  reach 
the  terrace-level  are  fifteen  feet  in  front  of  the  veranda.  These 
steps  should  be  of  stone,  not  less  than  twelve  inches  wide,  nor 
more  than  seven  inches  rise,  and  of  a length  equal  to  the  width  of 
the  main  walk.  Low  stone  copings  at  the  side  of  the  steps  expand 
at  the  top  into  square  pedestals  for  vases,  and  thence  are  continued 
to  meet  the  veranda.  Such  copings  should,  where  practicable,  be 
of  some  warm  colored  stone.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  walk  at 
the  foot  of  these  stone  steps  widens  out  into  quite  an  area,  and  at 
this  point  the  design  varies  by  an  easy  transition  from  the  formal 
to  the  graceful  style ; the  form  of  the  front  of  the  terrace  conform- 
ing to  the  curves  of  the  walks.  The  walks  to  the  left  and  right 
diverge  first  by  geometric  curves,  and  then  enter,  by  more  path- 
like lines,  dense  masses  of  shrubbery,  ending  at  seats  embowered 
in  foliage.  From  these,  vistas  open  to  the  most  pleasing  features 
of  the  ground. 

The  house  is  supposed  to  be  designed  in  a half  city-style,  with 
a basement-kitchen,  and  all  the  principal  windows  in  the  front  and 
rear  only.  The  blank  sidewalks,  if  of  unpainted  brick  or  'stone, 
may  be  covered  with  the  Virginia  creeper,  and  on  the  side-ground 
back  of  the  points  shown  on  the  plate,  fruit  trees  may  be  planted. 
If  the  lot  is  three  hundred  feet  deep,  there  will  be  room  back  of  the 
house  for  the  needful  kitchen-yard  and  a pretty  little  vegetable- 
garden,  or  a stable  and  carriage-space ; but  hardly  for  both.  A lot 
of  four  hundred  feet  in  depth  would  be  more  suitable  for  a house 
thrown  back  so  far  from  the  front  street  as  this,  unless  space  were 
obtained  in  the  rear  of  the  house  by  a latitudinal  development  of 
the  lot  in  the,  rear  of  other  lots. 

As  the  entire  embellishment  of  this  place  lies  in  front  of  the 
house,  and  as  its  features  are  of  that  gardenesque  character  which 
presuppose  a decided  love  of  horticultural  art  in  the  occupants, 
and  therefore  the  necessity  of  constant  labors  to  be  done  near  the 
street,  some  thorough  protection  of  their  privacy  is  essential  ; and 


A ND  G R 0 UN D S, 


213 


we  have  here  first  introduced  a hedge  on  the  street  line.  The  gate- 
way should  be  rather  larger  than  is  common  on  foot-walks,  and 
covered  with  a carefully  grown  hemlock  arch.  The  hedge  may  be 
of  hemlock  or  of  Siberian  arbor-vitae,  and  not  more  than  six  feet 
in  height.  At  a , a,  it  is  designed  to  be  hollowed  by  a concave  cut 
on  the  sides  and  top,  so  that  the  latter  will  not  be  more  than  three 
and  a half  feet  high  in  the  middle.  With  this  arrangement  there 
will  be  three  glimpses  into  the  place  from  the  street ; one  under 
the  gateway  arch,  and  the  others  over  the  concave  cuts  in  the 
hedge.  The  buttresses  on  the  inside  are  intended  to  give  variety 
in  the  line,  and  in  the  lights  and  shadows  of  the  hedge.  They  are 
easily  made  with  the  hedge  by  placing  two  or  three  hedge-plants 
at  right  angles  with  the  line  of  the  hedge  at  the  points  where 
wanted. 

We  have  called  attention  in  another  place  to  a peculiarity  of 
the  arrangement  of  shrubs  and  trees  on  this  place.  There  are  three 
long  lines  of  view,  each  of  pre-eminent  interest  from  the  different 
points  where  each  is  likely  to  be  most  observed.  First  the  walk- 
view,  as  seen  from  the  gateway  looking  towards  the  house,  or  from 
the  terrace  steps  looking  towards  the  gateway ; the  second  and 
third,  on  the  lines  between  the  bay-windows  and  the  scollops  in  the 
front  hedge,  ranging  the  whole  distance  over  an  unbroken  lawn 
elegantly  margined  on  both  sides  with  flowers,  shrubs,  and  trees. 
If  the  reader  will  raise  this  plate  nearly  level  with  the  eye,  and 
glance  along  the  lines  indicated,  he  will  appreciate  better  than  we 
can  explain  what  we  have  endeavored  to  accomplish  in  this  plan. 
It  is  desirable,  in  order  to  achieve  the  best  result  of  this  arrange- 
ment, that  the  character  of  the  foliage  on  the  two  sides  of  the  lot 
should  be  so  different  as  to  give  a distinct  effect  to  the  views  out 
of  the  two  bay-windows.  In  addition  to  these  three  prominent 
lines  of  view,  charming  long  narrow  vistas  may  be  made  to  give 
interest  to  the  seats  at  the  ends  of  the  walks. 

One  selection  of  trees  and  shrubs  for  the  most  prominent  places 
on  this  plan  may  be  the  following : 

Group  i,  on  the  left : at  a , the  weeping  juniper  ( oblonga 
pendula)  ; at  b , the  erect  yew  ( Taxus  erecta)  ; at  c , the  golden 
yew  ( Taxus  aurea)  ; at  d ’ the  weeping  Indian  juniper  (y. 


9 


* 

214  PLANS  OP  RESIDENCES 

repanda  densa ) ; at  e , the  dwarf  Swedish  juniper  {J.  suecica 
natia). 

Group  i,  on  the  right : at  a,  the  Siberian  arbor-vitae ; at  by 
Parson’s  arbor-vitae  ( Thuja  occidental is  compacta)  ; at  cy  the 
Nootka  Sound  arbor-vitae  ( Thuja  plicata)  ; at  d , the  erect  yew 
( Taxus  erecta) ; and  at  e,  the  dwarf  silver-fir  {Pice a pectinata 
compacta). 

Groups  2,  2,  may  be  composed  of  evergreens  as  follows  : at  a , a , 
the  mugho  and  mountain  pines  (P.  mugho  and  P.  pumild) ; at  b and 
c,  in  one  group,  dwarf  white  pines  (P.  strobus  compacta) ; and  on  the 
other  the  Chinese  yews,  Cephalotaxus  fortnnii  mascula  and  C. 
drupaccz.  Or,  of  deciduous  shrubs,  the  group  may  be  as  follows : 
at  a,  on  the  left,  the  Weigela  amabalis ; and  at  b and  c , the  deutzias 
crenata  alba  and  crenata  rubra  flore  plena.  At  a , on  the  right,  the 
great-leaved  snow-ball  ( Viburnum  machropdiyllum ) ; and  at  b and  cy 
the  red-tartarian  honeysuckle  and  the  lilac  rothmagensis. 

Groups  3,  3,  are  for  showy-leaved  bedding-plants  or  roses ; 4,  4, 
may  be  filled  with  choice  geraniums. 

Figures  5,  5,  5,  5,  represent  a pair  each  of  Irish  and  Swedish 
junipers. 

Beds  6,  6,  are  for  roses  or  showy  annuals,  perennials,  and 
bulbous  flowers ; 7,  7,  and  9,  9,  represent  single  plants  remarka- 
ble for  beautiful  or  showy  foliage ; and  8,  8,  are  for  brilliant  low- 
blooming  flowers. 

Figures  10,  10,  on  the  left  of  the  walk,  may  be,  one  the  golden 
arbor-vitae,  and  the  other  the  Podocarpus  japonica;  or  the  rhododen- 
drons album  elegans  and  gloriosum.  If  of  deciduous  shrubs,  one  the 
purple-leaved  berberry,  and  the  other  Gordon’s  flowering-currant; 
or,  one  the  dwarf  snow-ball  ( Viburnum  anglicum ),  and  the  other 
the  variegated  Cornelian  cherry  or  dogwood  ( Cornus  mascula  va- 
riegata ) ; or  the  Chinese  purple  and  the  Chinese  red  magnolias ; 
or  the  dwarf  catalpas  himalayensis  and  koempferi , or  any  other 
compact  shrubs  or  dwarf  trees  of  constant  beauty  of  foliage  and 
annual  blossoms;  10,  10,  on  the  right,  maybe,  one  the  weeping 
arbor-vitas,  and  the  other  the  common  tree-box. 

Figure  11,  on  the  left,  the  Japan  weeping  sophora,  or  the  Mag- 
nolia cor  data  ; 11,  on  the  right,  the  Chinese  cypress  ( Glypto-strobus 


4lley  Plate ' 


Beale  4f'  'fOU  /',1h<  ittNk 


A ND  G R 0 UND  S. 


215 


sinensis  pendula) ; 12,  the  Magnolia  machrophylla ; 13,  a pair  of 
Kolreuterias. 

Figure  14,  wherever  it  occurs,  suggests  a weeping  silver-fir 
(Pice a pectinata  pendula),  a weeping  Norway  spruce  (invert a),  or 
some  other  evergreen  of  slender  or  peculiar  habit;  15,  15,  the 
golden  yew  and  golden  arbor-vitae ; 16,  the  weeping  beech,  or  a 
pair  of  them;  17  and  18,  rhododendrons  along  the  walks,  and  ro- 
bust shrubs  on  the  outside — -either  evergreen  or  deciduous  ; 19,  19, 
19,  hardy  pines  best  suited  to  the  locality;  20,  20,  20,  borders  of 
the  finest  shrubs;  21,  a heavy  mass  of  evergreens  not  more  than 
eight  to  twelve  feet  high,  covering  and  concealing  the  slope  of  the 
terrace,  with  a brilliant  flower-bed  on  its  upper  or  terrace  level ; 
22,  22,  suggest  large  low  basket  forms  for  flowers ; 23,  23,  are 
circular  beds  for  tall  flowers.  The  pedestals  at  the  top  of  the 
steps  to  the  terrace  should  have  elegant  low  vases  appropriately 
filled  with  beautiful  plants.  • 

The  masses  of  dark-toned  evergreens  not  numbered  represent 
close  plantations  of  hemlocks  and  Norway  spruce,  with  such  other 
evergreen  trees  as  may  best  break  the  monotony  of  their  colors. 


Plate  XXII. 

Designs  for  Neighboring  Homes  with  connecting  Grounds. 

In  the  chapter  on  Neighboring  Improvements  we  have  en- 
deavored to  call  attention  to  the  great  advantage  that  improvers  of 
small  lots  may  gain  by  planting  on  some  common  plan,  so  that  all 
the  improvements  of  the  fronts  of  adjoining  lots  may  be  arranged 
to  allow  each  of  the  neighbors  a view  of  the  best  features  of  all. 
This  plate  is  intended  to  illustrate  one  of  the  simplest  forms  of  such 
neighboring  improvements. 

The  houses  themselves  are  such  as*  proprietors  often  build  in 
rows  for  the  purpose  of  adding  to  the  value,  and  increasing  the  sale 
of  adjacent  property ; but  the  connection  of  all  the  fronts  into  one 
long  lawn  is  yet  seldom  practiced.  The  elegant  effect,  however, 
which  this  mode  of  improvement  lends  to  places  which,  without  it, 


216 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


were  small  and  cheap-looking,  will  add  thousands  of  dollars  to 
their  saleable  value.  It  gives  a genteel  air  to  the  neighborhood 
that  five  times  the  expenditure  in  buildings  would  fail  to  produce, 
and  serves  by  this  fact  alone  to  attract  a class  of  refined  people  of 
small  means,  who  might  not  find  the  common  run  of  houses,  of  the 
cost  of  these,  sufficiently  attractive  to  induce  them  to  select  homes 
there. 

Though  these  five  houses  are  quite  similar  in  size  and  plan,  an 
inspection  of  them  will  show  that  only  Nos.  3 and  4 are  alike.  The 
others  all  differ  in  some  respects ; the  corner  houses  especially 
being  adapted  to  their  superior  locations  and  double  fronts,  and 
therefore  needing  to  be  somewhat  more  expensive.  The  main  part 
of  each  is  25  x 38  feet,  and  the  kitchen  part  12  x 20,  except  on 
lot  number  one,  where  it  is  larger.  There  is  an  alley  in  the  rear, 
upon  which  outbuildings  are  located. 

The  essential  feature  of  tjhe  planting  on  this  neighborhood  plan 
is  this : that  back  of  a line  te?i  or  twelve  feet  fro7n  the  front  street , to 
the  foot-step  of  the  porches , there  shall  be  no  shrub  or  tree  planted  on 
any  of  the  fronts ; and  only  those  species  of  flowers  which  do  not 
exceed  six  to  nine  inches  in  height.  This  secures  a belt  of  lawn 
varying  from  fifteen  to  forty  feet  in  width,  the  entire  length  of  the 
block,  and  leaves  ample  space  on  each  lot  for  a good  selection  and 
arrangement  of  shrubs  and  flowers.  The  light  dotted  lines  on  the 
plan  show  the  leading  ranges  of  view  over  this  common  lawn.  Of 
course  only  the  lightest  of  wire  fences  are  to  be  used  between  the 
lots,  if  any  such  divisions  are  required ; and  none  at  all  ought  to 
be  necessary. 

Lot  1 is  entered  from  the  side-street,  under  a gateway  arbor. 
From  this  entrance  the  whole  length  of  the  block  to  B and  E, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  is  a lawn,  broken  only  by  beds  for  low 
flowers,  margined  one  side  by  the  choicest  groups  of  shrubbery,  and 
on  the  other  by  the  various  architectural  features  of  the  steps,  vases, 
porches,  and  verandas  o£  the  five  houses,  and  their  flowers  and 
vines.  Nothing  can  more  strikingly  illustrate  the  advantage  of  such 
neighboring  improvements  than  the  view  from  this  point,  embrac- 
ing as  it  does,  under  one  glance,  all  the  beauty  that  may  be  created 
in  the  “ front  yards  ” of  five  distinct  homes,  all  forming  parts  of  a 


200 /> 


A ND  G R 0 UND S . 


217 


single  picture.  Similar  effects  are  obtained  on  entering  the  verdant 
gateway  arch  at  E,  on  lot  5 ; and  also  from  the  side-streets  at  the 
points  B and  C.  The  shorter  views,  from  the  porches  and  best 
windows  of  each  house,  are  all  made  vastly  more  pleasing  than 
would  be  possible  on  a single  lot.  The  vignette  of  Chapter  IV  is 
a suppositional  view  from  the  porch  (A)  of  the  house-plan  2,  look- 
ing towards  B. 

From  the  front  street,  the  in-look  between  the  groups  that  border 
the  front,  is  such  as  to  make  each  place  when  opposite  to  it,  appear 
to  be  the  most  important  one. 

Only  shrubs,  or  shrubby  trees,  are  to  be  admitted  on  the  fronts ; 
but  on  the  sides,  between  the  houses,  cherry  and  pear  trees  may  be 
planted.  The  flower-beds  are  all  shown  somewhat  larger  on  these 
plans  than  they  should  be. 

The  selections  of  shrubs,  and  their  arrangement  in  the  many 
groups  adjacent  to  the  front  street,  will  require  a thorough  famili- 
arity with  the  characteristics  of  shrubs,  and  should  therefore  be  done 
by  an  experienced  gardener.  Our  plate  is  drawn  on  too  small  a 
scale  to  enable  us  to  designate  in  detail  the  composition  of  all  the 
groups  and  single  specimens  indicated  on  the  plan,  and  as  such 
groups  of  places  must  of  necessity,  at  first,  be  all  arranged  under 
the  direction  of  one  gardener,  it  is  not  desirable  that  we  should 
make  a suppositional  list  of  shrubs  and  trees  for  each  lot. 


Plate  XXIII. 

Three  Residences  occupying  the  end  of  a Block  two  hundred  feet  in 
width , on  Lots  two  hundred  feet  deep. 

Here  the  end  of  the  block  is  supposed  to  have  been  divided 
into  four  lots,  each  50  x 200  feet;  the  middle  two  lots  being  first 
occupied  by  a commodious  double-house,  and  each  of  the  side-lots 
subsequently  improved  with  basement-kitchen  houses,  of  half  city, 
half  suburban  character,  and  the  fronts  of  the  three  places  kept  by 
agreement  for  mutual  advantage. 

The  house  on  the  left  the  reader  may  recognize  as  similar  to 


218 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


the  one  shown  on  Plate  XV,  on  a lot  of  the  same  width  ; but  it  is 
somewhat  differently  placed  on  the  lot,  jmd  the  ground  arrangements 
are  different  in  front  and  rear.  One  plan  provides  for  a kitchen- 
garden,  and  the  other  for  a fruit-yard  only.  It  will  be  observed 
that  this  house,  and  the  basement-house  on  the  other  corner,  have 
blank  walls  adjoining  the  neighbor-lots,  which  are  not  built  up 
to  the  line  of  the  fence,  but  leave  a space,  one  of  five  feet  and  the 
other  of  two  feet,  between  the  wall  and  the  lot-line.  This  is  almost 
useless  for  planting ; but  we  deem  it  essential  to  give  the  owner  no 
excuse  for  that  miserable  shoddy  architecture  which  constructs  a 
cornice  on  one  or  two  sides  of  a building,  and  leaves  it  off  on  sides 
that  are  equally  conspicuous  ; on  the  plea,  sometimes,  that  the 
owner  who  has  built  up  to  his  line  has  no  right  to  build  a cornice 
over  his  neighbor’s  property.  Though  these  houses  indicate  con- 
tinuous blank  walls  on  one  side,  they  are  not  necessarily  so,  when 
this  space  is  preserved  ; and  if  the  owner  of  the  middle  lot  is  a 
reasonable  man,  pleasant  windows  and  out-looks  may  be  made 
from  the  halls  of  both  the  outer  houses,  and  from  the  bed-room  of 
the  house  on  the  right.  The  arrangement  of  rooms  in  the  upper 
stories  is  likely  also  to  call  for  quite  a number  of  windows  over- 
looking the  middle  lot,  and  the  fact  of  ownership  of  even  a very 
little  space  in  front  of  them  will  make  it  safer  for  the  builder  to 
plan  them.  If  the  occupants  of  the  three  lots  are  in  friendly  accord, 
the  high  division  fences  as  shown  back  of  the  front  lines  of  the 
houses,  may  be  dispensed  with  back  to  the  rear  of  the  same.  The 
blank  walls  can  be  covered  with  the  Virginia  creeper,  and  groups  of 
shrubbery  arranged  at  their  base  to  better  advantage  than  our  plan 
shows ; the  plan  supposing  a concert  of  improvements  only  in 
front  of  the  houses. 

The  house  on  the  right  has  the  form  and  extent  of  an  un- 
usually commodious  and  elegant  town-house  ; the  main  part  being 
25  x 50  feet,  and  the  rear  20  x 34.  The  front-entrance  is  quite 
peculiar,  and,  if  designed  by  a good  architect,  will  be  an  elegant 
and  uncommon  style  of  porch.  There  is  a double  object  in  making 
it  of  this  form.  It  being  desirable  to  have  the  entrance-gate  at  D, 
where  persons  passing  in  will  at  once  have  a vista  the  whole  length 
of  the  side-yard  to  the  back  corner  of  the  lot  (as  indicated  by  the 


Street 


Street 


A ND  GEO  UND  S. 


219 


dotted  line),  thus  receiving  a more  favorable  impression  of  the 
extent  and  beauty  of  the  ground  than  if  the  gate-entrance  were 
directly  in  front  of  the  front  door,  this  location  of  the  gateway 
naturally  suggests  a side  approach  to  the  porch.  But  a porch  of 
this  form  is  of  itself  desirable  in  such  a location,  by  permitting  a 
heavy  mass  of  shrubs  to  be  planted  directly  in  its  front,  leaving  the 
lawn  in  front  unbroken,  and  making  the  porch  appear  more  distant 
and  retired  from  the  street  than  it  would  were  the  steps  and  walk 
directly  in  front  of  it,  in  the  usual  mode.  It  also  makes  a con- 
venient front-entrance  to  the  basement  at  the  side  of  the  parlor 
bay-window. 

The  grounds  of  this  group  of  places  are  quite  simple  in  the 
style  of  planting;  yet,  if  laid  out  as  here  indicated,  the  materials 
properly  chosen  and  well  kept,  they  would  be  noticeable  for  their 
elegance.  The  necessarily  small  scale  on  which  these  groups  of 
houses  and  lots  are  planned,  makes  it  impracticable  to  describe 
them  in  detail,  especially  with  reference  to  the  selections  of  shrubs 
and  trees. 

Plate  XXIV. 

Four  Residences , occupying  the  end  of  a Block  two  hundred  feet  in 

width , on  Lots  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep , and  representing 

widely  different  forms  of  Houses  and  Lots. 

We  will  here  suppose  that  the  two  lots  on  the  left,  each  sixty 
feet  front,  were  first  purchased  and  improved  ; and  the  next  twenty- 
five  feet  were  then  purchased  by  some  one  who  cared  little  for 
grounds,  and  wished  merely  to  provide  himself  a good  town-house ; 
arid  then  the  remaining  fifty-five  feet  of  the  block  by  some  one  who 
could  afford  a larger  style  of  improvement,  including  a carriage- 
house  and  stable.  Also,  that  numbers  one  and  two  having  built 
their  house-fronts  about  forty  feet  from  the  street,  purchaser  num- 
ber three  has  the  good  taste  to  put  his  front  on  the  same  line  ; but 
number  four  having  a much  longer  house  is  obliged  to  crowd 
forward  of  the  line  a little.  It  is  pleasant  to  observe  how,  in  this 
group  of  utterly  unlike  houses,  the  peculiarity  of  each  adds  to  the 


220 


FLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


beauty  of  the  others ; and  all  succeed,  by  a harmonious  improve- 
ment of  their  grounds  on  a common  plan,  to  realize  a great  deal  of 
beauty  for  which  each  one  pays  but  a small  share.  Suppose  the 
city-house  number  three  were  placed  twenty  feet  nearer  the  street, 
it  w'ould  then  destroy  the  opportunity  for  the  fine  lawn  on  the  line 
A,  B ; its  blank  side-walls  would  be  marplots  of  the  block  on  both 
sides ; and  its  front-porch  and  bay-window,  which  now  have  charm- 
ing outlooks  in  each  direction,  would  then  have  little  in  view  but 
the  sidewalk  and  the  street.  By  placing  the  house  back  on  a line 
with  the  others,  the  owner  has  therefore  made  a great  profit  for 
himself,  and  conferred  an  equal  one  on  his  neighbors.  Let  him 
carry  the  same  good  sense  a little  farther.  He  has  not  cared  to 
have  much  ground,  but  that  strip  twenty-five  feet  in  width  in  front 
of  his  house  must,  in  some  way,  be  made  creditable  to  the  neigh- 
borhood. If  it  were  filled  with  trees,  shrubs,  or  flowers,  these 
would  destroy  his  grass-plat  and  outlooks,  and  his  neighbors  would 
have  no  considerable  length  of  grassy  ground ; it  would  be  selfish, 
after  securing  pleasant  views  from  his  bay-window  over  his  neigh- 
bors’ improvements,  to  so  plant  his  own  lot  that  their  views  would 
be  destroyed.  We  would  therefore  suggest  to  him  not  to  plant  a 
tree,  or  a shrub,  in  front  of  his  steps ; but  to  place  in  the  centre  of 
the  space  in  front  of  the  bay-window  a vase  for  flowers,  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  substantial  form  that  he  can  afford,  and  make  it  his 
“family  pride”  to  see  that  the  filling  of  the  vase  and  of  the  small 
flower-beds  in  front  and  behind  it  is  as  perfect  a piece  of  art  as 
possible.  The  plain  lawn  surrounding  them,  and  the  absence  of 
any  attempt  at  rural  effect  in  front  of  this  city-house,  will  alone 
give  it  an  air  of  distinguished  simplicity,  while  these  characteristics 
will  make  its  lawn,  and  vase,  and  flowers,  a harmonious  part  of  the 
common  improvement  of  the  whole  block-front.  We  thus  see  how 
the  owner  of  the  narrowest  lot  of  the  group  holds,  as  it  were,  the 
key  to  the  best  improvement  of  the  block,  and  by  the  use  of  gen- 
erous good  sense,  or  the  want  of  it,  can  consummate  or  mar  the 
beauty  of  a whole  neighborhood  of  grounds. 

On  lot  i,  the  house  and  grounds  resemble  those  shown  on 
Plate  VI,  though  they  are  not  identical.  Besides  the  fruit  trees 
in  the  back-yard  it  should  have  no  other  trees,  except  one  of 


A ND  G R 0 UN D S. 


221 


small  size  as  shown  near  the  front  corner  of  the  veranda ; for  which 
place  we  recommend  the  Magnolia  machrophylla.  The  two  small 
trees  near  the  corners  of  the  front  bay-window,  may  be  the  catalpas 
himalayensis  and  koempfcri ; and  the  isolated  tree  nearest  the 
street,  the  white-flowered  magnolia  (< conspicua ),  or  a single  fine 
specimen  of  weigela,  deutzia,  lilac,  viburnum,  or  honeysuckle. 
The  gateway  arch  should  be  of  hemlock,  with  evergreen  under- 
shrubs near  it. 

On  lot  2,  but  two  trees  are  shown  in  front  of  the  house.  These 
are  twenty  feet  in  front  of  the  main  house  corners.  Of  rapid  grow- 
ing deciduous  trees  for  this  place,  none  are  better  adapted  than  the 
weeping  birches ; of  those  of  slower  growth,  the  double  white-flowered 
horse-chestnut ; or  of  evergreens,  the  weeping  Norway  spruce  and 
weeping  silver-fir.  The  gateway  arch  should  be  made  with  hem- 
locks. 

Lot  4 has  also  two  trees  in  front  of  the  corners  of  the  veranda. 
These  being  but  eight  feet  from  the  latter,  should  be  of  some 
species  which  makes  clean  stems  of  sufficient  height  to  carry  their 
branches  over  its  roof,  in  order  not  to  darken  and  obstruct  the  out- 
look from  the  veranda.  For  this  the  ginkgo  tree,  most  of  the 
birches,  and  the  scarlet  oak  are  well  adapted.  But  if  it  is  desired 
to  have  the  veranda  deeply  shaded,  and  somewhat  secluded  by 
foliage  in  summer,  then  the  magnolias  soulangeana  or  cor  data , or 
almost  any  of  the  hard  maples  and  horse-chestnuts,  or  the  beeches 
and  lindens,  will  do.  We  decidedly  prefer  deciduous  trees  to  ever- 
greens, in  places  so  near  the  pleasantest  outlooks  from  the  house 
as  these  trees  are  located ; for  the  reasons  that  their  shadows  are 
broader  and  more  useful  in  summer,  and  by  dropping  their  leaves 
in  autumn,  they  relieve  us  in  winter  of  a shade  that  would  be 
needless  and  sombre. 


222 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


Plate  XXV. 

Two  Suburban  Houses  with  Stables  and  Gardens , on  original  Lots 
ioo  x 200  feet)  illustrating  a mode  of  embellishment  by  the  addi- 
tion  of  a Lot  behind  other  Lots. 

The  reader  must  imagine  these  two  houses  originally  built  on 
lots  of  the  same  size  as  that  of  plan  No.  2 of  this  plate,  viz.: 
100  x 200  feet,  having  similar  lots  behind  them,  fronting  on  the 
side-street. 

The  owner  of  the  corner  lot  No.  1,  having  it  in  his  power,  and 
desiring  to  enlarge  his  embellished  grounds,  buys  the  lot  100  x 200 
feet  in  the  rear  of  the  two  lots,  first  occupied,  and  thus  doubles  the 
area  of  his  ground.  The  carriage-house  and  stable  which  he  may 
or  may  not  have  had  before,  can  now  be  located  on  the  part  of  the 
new  lot  in  the  rear  of  the  stable  on  original  lot  No.  2.  Around  it, 
in  the  rear  of  the  same  lot,  is  ample  room  for  the  vegetable-garden, 
and  a yard  for  the  horse  and  cow.  This  leaves  the  entire  length 
of  the  ground  near  the  side-street  clear  for  decorative  improvement. 
The  outside  kitchen-door  of  the  house  on  lot  1 is  through  the 
laundry  W,  where  the  paths  connecting  it  with  the  stable  and  out- 
buildings are  entirely  disconnected  from  the  pleasure-walks.  The 
carriage-road  which  connects  with  the  steps  of  the  back  veranda  is 
for  the  use  of  the  family  and  household  friends  only ; the  street  on 
the  main  front  being  the  place  for  casual  callers  to  alight. 

Had  the  house  been  originally  designed  for  the  lot  as  it  now 
stands,  it  could  doubtless  have  had  its  best  rooms  arranged  to  look 
out  more  directly  on  the  best  portions  of  the  grounds.  As  it  is,  the 
parlor  gets  no  part  of  the  benefit  of  the  enlargement  of  the  place 
by  the  addition  of  the  rear  lot.  But  the  dining-room  D,  by  a wide 
window  or  low-glazed  door  opening  upon  the  back  veranda,  com- 
mands a full  view  of  the  croquet  and  archery  ground,  and  its  sur- 
rounding embellishments ; and  the  family  sitting-room  S secures 
a similar  view  with  a different  fore-ground,  by  a bay-window  pro- 
jected boldly  towards  the  side-street  for  that  purpose.  The  outlook 
from  the  unusually  large  parlor  on  this  plan,  depends  mostly  on  the 


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AND  GROUNDS. 


223 


adjoining  place  for  the  fine  open  lawn  that  is  in  view  from  the  bow- 
window  ; but  as  the  finest  rooms  of  the  house  on  lot  2 are  equally 
dependent  on  the  outlook  across  lot  1 for  their  pleasing  views,  it 
is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  occupants  of  either  would  wish  to 
interrupt  the  advantageous  exchange.  The  extreme  openness  of 
lawn  on  the  front  of  both  places,  and  the  almost  total  absence  of 
shrubbery  on  the  front  of  No.  1,  is  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a gener- 
ous air  to  both,  and  to  maintain  all  the  advantages  of  reciprocity. 
It  would  be  quite  natural  to  suppose  that  No.  1,  which  is  an  old 
place  remodelled,  had  once  had  its  front  yard  filled  full  of  shrubs 
and  trees,  and  that  in  the  formation  of  the  new  lawn  in  the  rear  the 
shrubbery  was  mostly  removed  to  make  the  lawn  more  open,  and 
to  stock  the  groups  of  the  new  plantation ; and  then  that  the 
flower-beds  were  planned  to  relieve  its  plainness,  without  obstruct- 
ing the  neighbor’s  views,  as  shrubs  and  trees  might. 

The  house  on  lot  No.  2 is  40  x 44  feet,  with  a kitchen-wing 
18  x 24.  Having  the  main  entrance  on  the  side,  the  carriage-way 
passes  the  door,  on  the  way  to  the  stable,  without  unnecessary  detour ; 
and  the  best  rooms  of  the  house  occupy  the  entire  front.  The  house 
is  considerably  smaller  than  that  on  lot  No.  1,  though  all  its  rooms 
are  of  ample  size ; the  difference  between  the  houses  being  in  the 
stately  parlor  and  bed-room  on  the  first  floor,  which  the  house  on 
lot  No.  1 has,  and  the  other  has  not.  The  sitting-room  and  parlor 
of  the  latter,  however,  opening  together  by  sliding  doors,  will  be 
fully  equal  in  effect  to  the  single  parlor  in  the  former  plan  ; and,  in 
proportion  to  its  size,  the  latter  seems  to  us  the  best  house-plan. 

The  details  of  the  planting  on  both  places  we  can  follow  no 
further  than  the  plate  indicates  them,  without  drawings  on  a larger 
scale  to  refer  to.  The  fronts  are  simple  and  open  to  a degree  that 
may  be  unsatisfactory  to  many  persons — especially  near  the  street- 
front  of  the  corner  lot ; but  as  that  lot  is  supposed  to  be  richly 
embellished  with  shrubbery  in  the  pleasure-ground  back  of  the 
carriage-entrance,  we  beliqve  the  marked  simplicity  of  the  front  will 
tend  to  make  the  new  portion  of  the  place  more  interesting  by  the 
contrast  which  its  plainness  presents  to  the  profusion  of  sylvan  and 
floral  embellishments  of  the  pleasure-ground  proper. 


> 


224 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


Plate  XXVI. 

A Village  Block  of  Stores  and  Residences , illustrating  a mode  of 
bringing  Grounds  back  of  Alleys  into  connection,  for  Decorative 
Purposes , with  the  Residences  on  the  Village  Street. 

We  desire  to  call  the  reader’s  attention  to  this  elaborate  study 
of  an  unusual  mode  of  securing  to  homes  on  contracted  village  lots 
the  delightful  appendage  of  charming  little  pleasure  grounds. 

The  business  of  small  villages  usually  clusters  on  one  street, 
and  sometimes  occupies  but  a few  stores  near  “the  corners  and 
it  is  a common  practice  of  thrifty  and  prudent  village  merchants  to 
have  the  residence  on  the  same  lot  with  the  store,  or  on  an 
adjoining  lot.  As  the  village  increases,  the  lots  near  the  leading 
merchant’s  are  those  earliest  occupied  by  good  improvements,  in 
stores  or  residences.  Our  plate  shows  a village  or  suburban  block 
of  two  hundred  feet  front  on  the  principal  street,  with  lots  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep  to  an  alley. 

Let  us  suppose  that  Mr.  Smith,  the  wealthiest  business  man  of 
the  vicinage,  has  purchased  the  one  hundred  feet  front  on  the  right, 
and  erected  two  fine  stores  on  the  corner  (one  of  which  he  occupies), 
and  a dwelling-house  on  the  balance  of  the  lot.  While  beginning 
to  amass  wealth  he  was  doubtless  occupying  a much  smaller  store 
and  house,  and  has  erected  these  large  improvements  when  his 
means  enabled  him  to  move  with  considerable  strength.  Let  us 
further  suppose  that  on  the  completion  of  this  fine  residence,  a 
couple  of  well-to-do  citizens  buy  two  acjjoining  lots  of  twenty-five 
feet  front  each  and  put  up  a pair  of  city  houses ; and  that  the 
corner  fifty  feet,  on  the  left,  is  then  improved  as  shown  on  the  plate. 

Mr.  Smith,  and  those  who  have  built  after  him,  have  all  been 
intent  on  getting  themselves  good  houses,  and  have  not  had  either 
the  leisure  or  the  taste  to  give  much  thought  to  grounds  for  embel- 
lishment. With  a business  exacting  all  his  time,  and  a young  family 
to  provide  for,  the  business  man  has  looked  forward  to  a new  store 
or  a new  house  as  the  ultima  thule  of  his  ambition.  But  when  these 
are  acquired,  and  larger  means  and  more  leisure  and  observation  of 


South  Street 


to  2Q>  • JO  up  iO  bp  70  SO  90  100  fi 


East  Street 


AND  GROUNDS . 


225 


the  results  of  culture  and  wealth  in  other  places  open  his  eyes  to 
other  refined  objects  of  expenditure,  he  cannot  but  see,  living  as  he 
does  in  the  centre  of  a farming  country,  with  open  fields  and 
pleasant  shade-trees  only  a few  squares  away,  how  he  has  cramped 
his  house,  like  a prisoner,  between  the  walls  of  his  stores  and  his 
new  neighbors,  and  has  not  even  play-room  for  his  children.  But 
the  fine  house  is  built  and  cannot  be  abandoned.  The  neighbors, 
with  fine,  but  smaller  city-houses,  are  in  the  same  predicament. 
They  are  all  persons  in  good  business,  with  (we  will  suppose)  the 
average  taste  of  tolerably  educated  people  for  a certain  degree  of 
elegance  outside  as  well  as  inside  their  houses. 

We  have  represented  the  entire  fronts  of  the  lots  as  bounded 
by  a low  stone-wall  and  coping,  making  the  grounds  four  steps 
(twenty-eight  inches)  above  the  level  of  the  sidewalks,  and  the  main 
floors  of  the  houses  five  steps  more,  so  that  the  basement-kitchens 
for  which  all  the  houses  are  planned  will  be  mostly  above  the  level 
of  the  ground.  In  addition  to  a fine  low  iron  fence  on  the  stone 
coping,  and  some  elegant  vases  in  the  centre  of  each  of  the  front 
spaces  between  the  walks,  and  the  vines  on  the  porches  and  ve- 
randa, the  three  places  nearest  the  store  can  have  little  more  done 
to  them  to  make  them  attractive  homes  exteriorly.  The  back-yard 
of  the  double-house  has  room  for  a little  decoration,  and  as  the 
wall  next  to  the  alley  has  an  east  exposure,  it  is  a good  place  for  a 
cold  grape-house,  and  is  used  accordingly.  The  rear  arcade  and  bay- 
windows  of  the  library  and  dining-rooms  now  have  a pleasant  look- 
out on  a pretty  bit  of  grass-plat,  dotted  with  a vase  and  a few  beds 
for  low  flowers ; the  grapery  bounding  the  view  in  front,  and  a 
square  rose-covered  arbor  marking  the  intersections  of  the  walks 
on  two  sides  of  the  fruit  and  vegetable  square,  behind  the  store- 
yards.  The  other  neighbors  follow  suit  with  cold  grape-houses 
along  the  alley ; the  one  on  the  extreme  left  improving  on  the 
others  by  adding  a decorative  gable-entrance  fronting  the  main 
street,  and  forming  a pleasing  termination  to  the  view  of  the  side- 
yard  as  seen  from  the  front.  These  four  places  now  have  about  all 
the  out-door  comforts  and  beauties  that  the  lots  are  capable  of ; 
but  after  all  they  are  city  houses,  on  cramped  city  lots.  The 
pleasures  incident  to  the  care  of  these  bits  of  lawn,  the  filling  of  the 
*5 


226 


t&FLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


vases,  and  the  management  of  the  vines  and  plants  in  the  grape- 
houses,  all  have  a tendency  to  beget  a craving  for  more  room  ; for 
similar  pleasures  and  more  beautiful  creations  on  a larger  scale. 
Mr.  Smith,  the  owner  of  the  stores  and  the  double-house,  has  been 
obliged  to  buy  the  lot  back  of  the  alley  (ioo  x 185  feet)  to  get 
room  for  his  stable,  vehicle,  and  man-servant.  Not  being  in  a 
street  where  property  is  used  for  business,  or  popular  for  residences, 
he  buys  it  for  a small  part  of  what  lots  on  the  east  street  are  worth ; 
and  the  lot  is  first  used  for  a horse  and  cow  pasture,  or  run-ground, 
in  connection  with  the  stable.  Now  let  us  suppose  Mr.  Smith  is 
one  of  those  good  specimens  of  business-men  whose  refined  tastes 
develop  as  their  means  increase,  and  that  he  longs,  and  that  his 
good  family  seconds  the  longing,  for  those  lovely  stretches  of  lawn 
flecked  with  shadows  of  trees,  margined  with  shrubberies,  and 
sparkling  with  flowers,  that  some  friend’s  acre  has  enabled  him  to 
display ; that  the  family  envy  the  possession  of  fine  croquet  grounds 
where  children,  youth,  and  old  people  are  alike  merry  in  the  open 
summer  air  with  the  excitement  of  the  battles  of  the  balls ; that 
they  desire  some  better  place  than  the  street  to  air  the  little  chil- 
dren, and  to  stroll  with  family  familiarity  on  fair  summer  days,  and 
evenings,  and  sociable  Sundays. 

To  obtain  all  these  pleasant  features  of  a home  without  going 
into  the  country,  or  exchanging  the  home  in  the  heart  of  the  village 
for  a new  one  farther  off,  or  giving  up  the  convenient  proximity  to 
his  business  which  Mr.  Smith  has  always  enjoyed,  we  propose  to 
tunnel  the  alley , and  to  convert  the  cow-pasture-lot  into  a little 
pleasure-ground,  as  shown  on  the  plan.  This  project,  however,  pre- 
supposes that  the  soil  is  naturally  so  gravelly  as  to  be  self-draining, 
so  that  water  might  never  rest  in  the  tunnel,  or  else  that  drainage 
for  the  bottom  of  the  tunnel  can  be  effected  by  a sewer  in  the  alley 
beneath  it,  or  not  far  off. 

It  may  be  asked — “ why  tunnel  rather  than  bridge  the  alley?” 
The  reasons  are  conclusive  in  favor  of  the  tunnel.  A bridge  over 
the  alley  must  be  high  enough  to  allow*  a load  of  hay  to  pass  under. 
The  great  height  would  make  it  a laborious  ascent  and  descent. 
In  going  from  one  piece  of  embellished  ground  to  the  other  it  is 
precisely  to  avoid  the  sight  of  the  alley  that  we  want  bridge  or 


AND  GROUNDS . 


227 


tunnel.  But  by  mounting  a bridge,  although  we  thus  secure  clean 
footing  at  all  times,  which  might  not  be  the  case  in  crossing  on  the 
ground,  the  alley  would  be  more  entirely  in  sight  than  if  one  were 
to  cross  it  in  the  usual  way ; and  (if  the  bridge  were  uninclosed) 
persons  making  use  of  it  would  be  targets  for  the  eyes  of  the 
neighborhood.  If  inclosed  and  roofed,  its  height  would  make  it 
absurdly  conspicuous,  expensive,  and  liable  to  be  carried  off  by 
winds.  Whether  used  or  not,  it  would  stand  obtrusively  in  sight 
from  all  directions,  without  the  excuse  for  its  conspicuousness  which 
attaches  to  a wind-mill,  which,  to  be  useful,  must  stand  on  tip-toe  to 
catch  each  wandering  breeze. 

The  tunnel,  on  the  other  hand,  is  unobtrusive,  out  of  sight  of  all 
but  those  who  use  it,  private,  and  a cool  summer  retreat.  It  forms, 
when  properly  constructed,  a novel  contrast  and  foil  to  the  sunny 
garden  to  which  it  is  designed  to  introduce  the  passer.  Descend- 
ing into  its  vaulted  shade,  the  view  on  emerging  into  a sunny 
pleasure-ground  is  made  doubly  charming  by  the  contrast.  Its 
sides  should  be  recessed  for  seats,  which  in  the  hottest  days  of 
summer  will  have  a delightful  coolness,  and  in  winter  form  good 
places  for  storing  half-hardy  box  plants,  bulbs,  and  small  trees. 
One  needs  but  call  to  mind  the  charming  tunnels  for  foot-paths  in 
the  New  York  Central  Park  to  imagine  the  beauty  that  may  be 
given  to  even  such  small  tunnels  as  the  ones  here  recommended. 

If  well  constructed,  such  tunnels  cannot  be  done  cheaply.  But 
in  a case  like  the  one  under  consideration,  where  the  owner  of  a 
fine  place  must  either  sell  out  and  improve  elsewhere,  or  else 
devise  some  mode  of  utilizing  the  lots  across  the  alley,  the  expense 
of  a tunnel  and  its  appropriate  adjuncts,  will  be  very  small  com- 
pared with  the  sacrifices  that  would  be  necessary  to  secure  the 
same  benefits  by  removal. 

The  construction  of  such  a tunnel  and  its  approaches  requires 
the  employment  of  a very  good  architect.  To  enable  the  reader  to 
have  a better  idea  of  the  plan,  as  indicated  on  our  plate,  we  will 
give  some  explanations  in  detail.  Nine  feet  below  the  surface  of 
this  alley  is  supposed  to  be  deep  enough  for  the  floor  of  the  tunnel. 
Seven  feet  clear  will  be  high  enough  for  the  inside  passage,  which 
will  leave  enough  earth  over  the  top  of  a brick  arch  to  protect  it ; 


328  PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 

and  six  feet  will  be  a sufficient  clear  width  inside.  For  an  alley 
fifteen  feet  wide,  the  arch  should  be  eighteen  feet  long.  The  steps 
down  to  it,  and  their  flanking  walls,  would  make  a length  of  ten  to 
fifteen  feet  more  on  each  side — depending  on  the  manner  of  the 
descent,  and  the  nature  of  the  superincumbent  improvements — and 
likely  in  any  case  to  make  the  entire  excavation  upwards  of  forty 
feet  in  length,  including  the  slopes  for  the  steps.  The  side-walls 
throughout  should  be  double  or  hollow  walls ; the  inner  one  of 
brick,  nicely  pointed,  the  outer  one  of  stone,  and  both  made  water- 
tight with  water-lime  cement.  The  arch  over  the  tunnel  proper 
should  be  made  with  great  care  to  render  it  perfectly  water-tight 
also ; and  if  the  entire  filling  above  the  arch,  and  on  the  outside  of 
the  side-walls,  is  made  with  good  gravel,  broken  stone,  or  coarse 
sand,  so  as  to  let  all  surface  water  soak  down  directly  to  the  drain 
below  the  floor  of  the  tunnel,  there  will  be  little  liability  to  excessive 
dampness  or  dripping  water  in  the  tunnel.  The  arch  for  the  main 
tunnel  on  this  plan  is  to  have  the  springing  points  five  feet  from 
the  floor,  and  to  be  that  segment  of  a circle  which  will  make  the 
centre  seven  feet  high.  For  stairs,  broad  solid  stone  steps  are  of 
course  the  best  in  the  long  run,  but  some  expense  for  such  work 
may  be  saved  by  having  the  slope  down  to  the  tunnel  floored  with 
a smooth  water-lime  cement,  and  a flight  of  plank  steps  put  in, 
supported  at  the  ends  only,  and  high  enough  above  the  sloping 
cement  floor  to  allow  the  latter  to  be  readily  brushed  and  kept 
clean  under  the  plank  steps.  These,  having  the  air  circulating 
freely  all  around  them,  will  not  be  liable  to  quick  decay. 

In  the  plan  under  consideration,  the  walk  leading  directly  from 
the  rear  arcade  of  the  double-house  to  the  grape-house  is  to  de- 
scend gradually  for  about  twenty  feet,  so  that  at  the  front  line  of  the 
latter  it  will  be  two  feet  below  the  general  surface,  and  a step  on 
the  same  line  will  drop  eight  inches  more  to  a stone  landing,  from 
which  four  steps  up  on  each  side  lead  to  the  two  sides  of  the  grape- 
house,  and  ten  steps  down,  to  the  floor  of  the  tunnel.  On  the  side 
towards  the  mansion,  the  inclosed  porch  and  roof  of  the  entrance 
to  the  tunnel  being  made  in  the  construction  of  the  grape-house, 
cannot  be  considered  a part  of  the  cost  of  the  former,  but  the  flank- 
ing walls,  the  steps,  the  tunnel  itself,  and  the  necessary  covered 


AND  GROUNDS. 


229 


porch  over  the  exit  from  the  tunnel  on  the  farther  side  of  the  alley, 
altogether  involve  a considerable  expenditure.  The  whole  could 
probably  be  done  in  a plain  style  for  about  one  thousand  dollars,  in- 
cluding a handsome  inclosed  porch  on  the  upper  side,  but  not 
including  the  pavilion  shown  on  the  left  of  it,  which  is  a separate 
affair ; though  the  two  may  be  made  together  as  one  construction. 

This  pavilion  will  certainly  be  a desirable  feature  after  the 
pleasure-ground  has  become  sufficiently  complete  to  make  a view 
over  it  pleasing.  It  should  have  a solid  wall  on  the  alley  side. 
The  floor  is  raised  five  feet  above  the  lawn,  and  the  space  beneath 
(with  a floor  a foot  or  two  below  the  lawn  and  a window  on  the 
alley)  may  be  used  as  the  gardener’s  work-room.  Fronting  to  the 
west  as  here  shown,  the  pavilion  will  be  a pleasant  place  for  mem- 
bers of  the  family  to  retire  on  warm  summer  evenings  after  tea  to 
observe  the  warm  lights  on  the  trees,  the  lengthening  shadows  on 
the  lawn,  and  all  the  glories  of  our  American  sunsets.  Or,  if  a 
darker  seat  in  the  summer-house  in  the  far  corner  of  the  lot  be 
preferred,  the  light  of  the  sun  upon  the  arches  and  other  features 
of  the  pavilion  will  make  a bright  addition  to  the  beauty  of  the 
view  towards  it. 

Before  describing  the  pleasure-ground  upon  which  the  proposed 
tunnel  from  the  double-house  opens,  we  wish  to  call  attention  to 
what  new  ambitions  the  spirit  of  emulation  is  likely  to  produce  in 
the  owners  of  the  two  city  houses  on  the  twenty-five  feet  lots  adjoin- 
ing. They  are  much  worse  off  for  yard-room  than  Mr.  Smith  ever 
was,  and  his  successful  use  of  the  rear  lot  by  means  of  the  tunnel 
suggests  to  them  the  purchase  of  the  equal  sized  remaining  lot  back 
of  their  own  improvements.  Both  want  it,  and  they  compromise  by 
buying  it  together,  with  a view  of  joining  in  the  expense  of  a tunnel- 
entrance  to  it.  It  will  be  seen  that  we  have  arranged  for  them  a 
double-tunnel  with  passages  four  feet  in  width. 

The  new  lot  must  be  partitioned  between  them,  so  as  to  give 
each  an  equal  area,  and  an  equal  value.  This  is  done  in  a peculiar 
way  in  order  to  make  the  form  and  consequent  effect  of  the  im- 
provements on  each  lot  as  different  from  the  other  as  practicable. 
Each  owner  has  entrance  to  his  own  tunnel  through  his  grape- 
house,  and  the  exit  porches  on  the  opposite  side  open  upon  lawns 


230 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


and  pleasure  walks  that  can  quickly  be  made  interesting.  In 
connection  with  the  double  exit  porch  we  have  drawn  buildings 
for  hired  men,  including  workshops  and  tool-rooms  of  the  same 
width,  under  a roof  supposed  to  be  a continuation  of  the  pavilion- 
structure  on  Mr.  Smith’s  lot.  Many  persons  who  employ  men- 
servants  object  to  lodging  them  in  their  residences.  As  rooms 
for  them  may  be  provided  more  cheaply  in  connection  with  the 
building  of  this  tunnel  porch  than  if  built  separately,  we  have 
introduced  them ; but  they  are  not  essential  to  the  plan. 

We  will  now  sketch  the  general  features  of  the  planting  for  the 
first  described  lot  back  of  the  alley.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  to 
begin  with,  that  this  lot,  ioo  x 185  feet,  is  a small  area  upon  which 
to  place  all  the  structures  and  gardenesque  embellishments  that  the 
ground-plan  indicates ; and  being  surrounded  by  a high  wall  or 
fence  to  insure  its  absolute  seclusion,  its  lawn-surface  will  be  still 
further  lessened  by  the  belts  of  trees  and  shrubs  that  must  be  planted 
inside  the  walls  to  relieve  their  monotony.  This  limited  area  can 
be  planted  so  as  to  avoid  inelegant  crowding  only  by  a selection  of 
trees  of  secondary  size,  and  a very  judicious  choice  of  shrubs. 
But  when  such  walled  grounds  are  successfully  treated,  there  is 
an  expression  of  snugness  and  elegant  privacy  about  them  that  the 
ladies  are  apt  to  speak  of  as  “delicious.”  Those  who  have  passed 
through  dark  houses  on  some  of  the  narrow  streets  of  old  Paris, 
and  emerged  suddenly  in  great  gardens  behind  them,  which  one 
could  hardly  imagine  there  was  vacant  room  for  within  a mile  of 
the  place  ; or  those  who  have  been  equally  surprised  and  delighted 
with  the  brilliant  gardens  behind  the  dismal  street-walls  of  Spanish 
American  cities,  can  appreciate  fully  how  charming  such  grounds 
as  these  may  be  made,  and  how  the  mere  novelty  of  such  a tunnel- 
entrance  to  a walled  garden  will  give  it  a special  charm. 

We  have  not  hitherto  called  attention  to  the  path  from  the 
kitchen  (under  the  dining-room)  directly  to  and  across  the  alley, 
to  the  carriage-house  and  stable.  Between  this  path  and  the  exit- 
porch  of  the  tunnel,  the  space  is  to  be  filled  with  a pine  tree  and  a 
dense  growth  of  hemlocks,  and  an  impervious  screen  of  the  latter  is 
to  be  continued  along  the  right-hand  side  of  the  path  issuing  from 
the  tunnel ; — to  be  grown  to  a height  that  will  conceal  the  stable 


AND  GROUNDS . 


231 


buildings  from  view  as  one  passes  along  by  the  side  of  them.  The 
path  connecting  the  stable  and  the  main  path,  should  open  from  the 
latter  under  a narrow  hemlock-arch.  The  group  of  evergreens  on 
the  left  of  the  exit  from  the  tunnel  must  be  those  which  do  not 
exceed  seven  feet  in  height,  or  which  may  readily  be  kept  down  to 
that  height,  and  not  interfere  with  the  view  from  the  arcade  ; — say 
a pair  of  Sargent’s  hemlock,  next  to  the  arcade,  the  Cephalotaxus 
fortunii  mascula  next ; the  golden  arbor-vitae  in  front  of  that ; and 
a bed  of  flowers  diminished  to  a point  as  shown  on  the  plan. 

At  the  divergence  of  the  main  paths  a really  elegant  flower-vase 
should  be  placed ; it  being  the  first  object  that  will  engage  the 
eye  on  emerging  from  the  tunnel.  Behind  it  a rose-bed  is  shown. 
Perhaps  a fine  evergreen  would  be  better  there,  say  the  weeping 
silver-fir,  on  a line  with  the  centre  of  the  tunnel  and  the  vase. 

Following  the  main  path  to  the  right,  there  should  be  masses 
of  strong-growing  shrubs  between  it  and  the  stable,  to  prevent  the 
latter  from  being  noticeable  in  passing.  A mass  of  shrubs  eight 
feet  high,  within  two  yards  of  the  walk,  will  conceal  an  object 
twenty-four  feet  high,  twenty-four  feet  from  the  walk.  Of  course 
all  parts  of  this  stable-building  should  be  well  finished,  as  it  must 
be  seen  from  nearly  every  part  of  the  pleasure-ground,  but  if  the 
upper  parts  of  it — the  roof-lines,  cornices  and  upper  windows — are 
properly  designed,  a view  of  them  over  the  shrubs  and  among  the 
tops  of  the  environing  trees  will  improve,  rather  than  injure,  the 
expression  of  the  place.  The  three  sunny  sides  of  the  building  are 
also  to  be  covered  with  the  foliage  of  grape-vines.  In  addition 
to  the  needful  shrubbery  to  conceal  this  building  from  too  close 
inspection,  the  corner  of  the  lot  in  its  rear  is  to  be  stocked  with 
cherry  and  pear  trees.  Where  the  walk  turns  toward  the  left,  leaving 
the  fruit-tree  group,  a mass  of  fine  shrubs  borders  the  walk  on  both 
sides  ; then  for  a short  distance  the  lawn  opens  on  the  right  to  a 
grape-espalier,  and  a group  of  the  finest  rhododendrons  in  front  of 
it ; on  the  left,  at  a , is  a pair  of  Kolreuterias , and  beyond  them 
another  group  of  rhododendrons  and  azalias.  We  here  come  in 
sight  of  the  summer-house  in  the  corner,  with  its  flanking  of  hem- 
locks and  bright  little  flower-beds,  and  a vase  opposite  the  walk 
from  it.  The  view  of  the  grounds  from  this  point  is  intended  to 


232 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


be  the  best.  Passing  along  to  the  left,  the  tree  marked  b , is  in- 
tended for  the  weeping  beech  ; beyond,  the  walks  form  a circle 
for  a grand  mass  of  bedding-plants,  in  a bay  of  evergreens.  The 
tree  c,  may  be  the  Magnolia  machrophylla  ; at  df  a pair  consisting 
of  a sassafras  and  a white-flowering  dogwood ; opposite  to  them  a 
group  of  three  pines,  the  Bhotan,  Austrian,  and  white.  On  the 
right  (returning  towards  the  tunnel),  the  wall  between  the  pines  is 
to  be  screened  by  a collection  of  small  evergreens.  As  they  will 
have  only  a north  exposure  until  their  tops  are  higher  than  the 
division  fences,  a hemlock  hedge  close  to  the  fence,  with  a formal 
collection  of  rhododendrons  and  evergreen  dwarfs  in  front  of  it, 
will  be  best  there.  The  pine  tree  at  the  last  turn  of  the  walk  is 
intended  for  the  dwarf  white  {compacta)  y or,  a weeping  Japan 
sophora  would  be  well  placed  there. 

The  suppositional  plantings  of  the  other  lots  back  of  the  alley 
we  must  leave  to  the  reader ; except  to  mention  that  the  long  wall 
which  divides  the  place  just  described  from  its  neighbor,  offers  on 
its  south  side  too  good  an  opportunity  for  a grape-border  to  be 
lost.  We  have  therefore  used  its  entire  length  for  that  purpose. 

The  reader  will  hardly  fail  to  notice  that  the  corner  place  on 
the  left,  which  originally  had  double  the  width  of  lot  of  its  next 
neighbors,  and  that  too  on  a corner  where  bay-windows,  and 
ground  well  improved  on  the  side,  gave  it  many  advantages  in  point 
of  beauty  and  comfort,  has  now  no  pleasure-ground  that  deserves 
the  name  compared  with  those  which  have  been  secured  by  means 
of  the  tunnel,  in  connection  with  the  houses  on  the  twenty-five 
feet  lots. 


AND  GROUNDS . 


233 


Plate  XXVII,  A and  B. 

Two  Plans  for  Residences  and  Grounds  on  Lots  having  acute  Angles 
formed  by  equally  important  Streets. 

These  are  common  forms  of  town  and  suburban  lots,  which 
puzzle  improvers  as  to  how  to  front  the  house,  to  plan  it,  and 
to  place  the  outbuildings,  and  lay  out  the  ground  so  that  the  im- 
provements shall  look  well,  and  the  connections  be  the  most  con- 
venient from  both  streets. 

The  two  ground-plans  here  given  show  different  modes  of  front- 
ing a house  that  is  nearly  the  same  in  plan  on  both,  on  the  same 
lot;  the  different  frontages  involving  a totally  different  style  of 
laying  out  in  each  case,  and  some  variations  in  the  kitchen  part 
of  the  house-plans. 

The  lots  are  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  on  each  of  the  shorter 
sides,  and  would  be  three  hundred  feet  in  length  on  the  longest 
side  if  extended  to  a sharp  point ; this  makes  them  equal  in  area 
to  a parallelogram  150  x 225  feet;  a trifle  more  than  three-quarters 
of  an  acre. 

The  carriage-house  and  road  are  of  similar  character  in  both 
plans,  and  enter  from  the  same  street.  In  other  respects  the  ground- 
plans  differ  widely,  and  yet  have  some  points  of  resemblance  which 
the  form  of  the  boundaries  renders  essential.  Both  have  been  de- 
signed with  care  to  make  them  valuable  studies  for  those  who  have 
similar  lots  to  improve.  Design  B has  a considerable  length  of 
pleasure-walks  which  may  be  dispensed  with,  without  marring  the 
design  for  planting  ; and  design  A shows  no  walks  on  the  pleasure- 
ground  proper,  though  a walk  could  be  laid  out  around  the  lawn 
above  the  house,  if  thought  desirable,  without  changing  the  plan  of 
its  planting.  The  dotted  lines  on  design  B represent  some  of  the 
open  lines  of  view  to  and  from  the  principal  windows  of  the  house, 
from  the  streets,  and  from  one  part  to  another  of  the  grounds. 

The  extremely  small  scale  of  the  drawings  make  it  impractica- 
ble to  give  details  for  planting. 


234 


PLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


Plate  XXVIII. 

Pla?is  for  two  Triangular  Corner  Lots  opposite  each  other. 

The  upper  of  these  two  lots  is  larger  than  those  of  Plate 
XXVII,  and  contains  an  acre  and  a half,  but  is  of  precisely  the 
same  form,  and  supposed  to  be  differently  circumstanced  in  the 
character  of  the  street  on  its  longest  side ; which,  though  used  for 
the  carriage-entrance  A,  and  one  foot-path  entrance  b,  is  not  of 
sufficient  importance  to  make  it  desirable  to  leave  openings  in  the 
shrubbery  on  that  side  for  views  from  the  street  to  the  house.  The 
residence  is  more  mansion-like  than  those  on  the  plate  referred 
to,  and  its  carriage-entrance  has  a much  more  stately  character. 
The  large  turn-way  in  front  of  the  main  entrance  is  larger  than 
necessary  for  a turn-way  merely,  in  order  to  make  a broader  green 
directly  in  front  of  the  main  entrance,  and  to  give  room  for  a grove 
of  fine  trees  with  which  it  is  to  be  shaded.  The  walk  from  the 
front  street  at  c,  with  the  one  before  mentioned  at  b,  and  the  kitchen 
entrance-gate  at  d,  give  the  most  convenient  access  from  the  streets 
to  the  house  from  whichever  direction  one  comes,  and  leave  a large 
area  between  c and  b,  unbroken  by  walks,  which  the  plan  shows  to 
be  carefully  and  elegantly  improved ; while  to  the  right  of  the  walk 
from  c,  a heavy  mass  of  shrubbery  forms  a boundary  between  the 
pleasure-ground  proper,  and  a considerable  orchard,  kitchen  grass- 
plat,  and  vegetable-ground.  The  triangular  space  between  the 
walk-entrance  b,  and  the  carriage-entrance  A,  should  be  filled  with 
evergreens — say  a Norway  spruce  in  the  centre  and  hemlocks 
around  it.  Between  a and  d is  room  for  masses  of  some  of  the 
noblest  shrubs.  The  small  scale  of  the  drawing  here  again  for- 
bids a further  detailed  enumeration  of  the  materials  for  the  plan- 
tation. 

The  lower  plan  is  essentially  different  in  its  conditions  and 
treatment  from  the  three  that  have  been  noticed,  though  it  resembles 
plan  B,  of  Plate  XXVII  in  its  frontage,  if  that  plan  were  turned 
upside  down.  But  on  this  plan  we  suppose  the  lot  to  be  little 
more  than  a mere  triangle — turning  the  corner  on  the  left  only 


A ND  G R 0 UND  S. 


235 


forty  feet,  just  far  enough  to  include  a row  of  fruit  trees  and  a 
private  entrance  to  the  stable  and  carriage-house  on  that  side  by 
a straight  road  to  it.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  kitchen,  carriage- 
house,  and  stable  are  joined,  and  turned  into  the  corner  of  the  lot 
in  the  most  compact  arrangement  possible;  and  that  the  entire 
house-plan  (the  main  part  of  which  is  33  x 50  feet)  is  a model  of 
compactness,  convenience,  and  good  connections  with  the  several 
parts  of  the  ground.  The  latter  also  affords  a rare  study  of  the 
elegant  effect  that  may  be  produced  on  only  two-thirds  of  an  acre 
by  skillful  arrangement  of  buildings  and  plantings,  and  the  aban- 
donment of  a vegetable-garden. 

In  most  respects  this  plan  if  well  studied  will  explain  itself ; but 
there  are  two  inconspicuous  features  on  this  drawing  which  the 
observer  may  fail  to  catch  the  meaning  of.  First,  the  point  where 
the  long  walk  to  the  kitchen  diverges  from  the  one  leading  to  the 
front,  shows  what  appears  like  a large  tree  over  it.  This  is  in- 
tended to  represent  five  trees  (the  trunks  of  which  are  shown 
by  light  dots  on  the  engraving)  planted  in  the  form  of  a pentagon, 
for  the  purpose  of  making  an  umbrage  of  the  character  of  some  of 
those  described  in  Chapter  XIY.  Where  the  hawthorns  flourish 
we  would  make  the  collection  of  them  alone,  including  among  them 
the  new  thorn  (not  a true  hawthorn),  Coccinea  flore  plena.  But  the 
group  may  be  well  composed  of  many  other  small  species  of  trees — 
taking  care  that  when  more  than  one  species  or  variety  is  used 
all  shall  be  of  similar  size  and  form,  in  order  to  make  a con- 
gruous mass  when  grown.  Second,  at  a point  opposite  the  parlor 
bay-window  a round  flower-bed  is  shown,  backed  by  dense  ever- 
green foliage.  On  each  side  of  this  flower-bed  a pair  of  small  trees 
are  indicated,  connected  by  light  lines.  These  are  intended  for 
hemlock  arches  of  fanciful  forms,  to  give  interest  to  the  place  by 
their  own  novelty,  and  the  pretty  effect  of  vistas  through  them. 
The  commonest  bit  of  lawn  with  a glimpse  of  bright  flowers,  when 
seen  through  such  arch-frames,  often  has  a pretty  effect  that  is  quite 
remarkable  considering  the  meagre  materials  that  produce  it. 


236 


FLANS  OF  RESIDENCES 


Plate  XXIX. 

A first-class  Suburban  Residence  and  Plantation  on  a Comer  Lot  of 
300  x 540  feet)  containing  3 j7^  acres. 

This  is  one  of  those  elegant  places  that  requires  a large  income 
for  its  maintenance,  and  which  most  Americans  who  have  little 
idea  of  the  breadth  of  view  that  the  name  park  implies,  are  apt  to 
speak  of  as  a private  park.  It  is  by  no  means  a park,  but  it  is  a 
generous  pleasure-ground  for  a retired  citizen,  with  all  the  elegant 
appliances  that  wealth  makes  practicable.  There  is  room  enough 
here  to  indulge  in  a great  variety  of  trees  and  shrubs  without 
crowding  the  lawn.  The  latter  opens  generously  upon  the  public 
highway  in  front,  and  connects  on  the  right  with  a supposed  good 
neighbor.  The  entrance-drive  is  simple  in  its  character,  and  from 
the  point  A,  the  visitor  in  entering  would  command  vistas  the  entire 
length  of  the  lot  over  the  lawn  in  front ; and  at  the  right,  a view  of 
the  elaborate  flower-garden  that  forms  the  principal  feature  of 
interest  opposite  the  parlor  bay-window.  The  plan  directly  violates 
one  rule  that  is  generally  desirable  to  observe  in  the  arrangement 
of  trees,  viz. : to  plant  so  as  to  make  the  house  the  centre  of  the 
picture  from  the  most  prominent  or  most  natural  points  of  view. 
But  on  this  plan  the  trees  in  front,  and  near  the  front  of  the  house, 
when  well  grown,  will  effectually  hide  it  from  the  entrance  at  A, 
and  leave  but  partial  views  open  from  the  highway  to  the  east  side 
of  the  house ; while  from  all  other  points  along  the  street  towards 
which  it  fronts,  it  will  be  completely  shut  off  by  trees.  This  has 
been  done  for  the  following  reason.  On  so  large  a lot  it  would 
savor  of  selfish  exclusiveness  not  to  have  the  lawn  open  generously 
to  the  street.  But  many  families  have  a strong  desire  for  a con- 
siderable degree  of  privacy  in  their  front  veranda  and  porch.  As 
in  this  case  they  front  to  the  south,  not  only  their  free  use,  unob- 
served from  the  street,  but  their  comfort  in  the  face  of  so  much 
gravelled  road,  requires  a mass  of  trees  to  shut  off  too  open  a view 
from  the  street,  and  to  render  the  veranda  and  porch  comfortable 
in  hot  weather  by  their  cooling  shadows.  It  being  desirable  for 


AND  GROUNDS . 


237 


these  reasons  to  violate  the  usual  rule,  it  is  better  to  do  it  entirely 
than  by  halves ; and  by  inviting  the  eye,  in  entering,  away  from 
the  front  to  other  views  around  the  house,  the  latter  when  seen, 
as  it  can  be  to  great  advantage  from  the  pavilion  and  from 
several  points  in  the  pleasure-walk  in  the  rear  part  of  the  lawn, 
will  (if  in  itself  pleasing)  add  the  more  to  the  attractions  of  these 
walks.  

In  concluding  this  series  of  designs,  we  cannot  forbear  to  call 
attention  again  to  the  great  advantage  that  a neighborhood  of 
homes  on  deep  lots,  with  narrow  fronts,  has  over  one  of  equal 
population  covering  an  equal  area  in  lots  of  less  depth  and  more 
frontage.  Narrow  frontages  enable  a community  to  keep  up  fine 
walks  and  fences  in  their  fronts  with  less  expense  to  each 
owner,  and  thus  to  add  the  comforts  of  city  streets  to  the 
rural  pleasures  that  await  those  who  court  them  in  the  grounds 
behind  the  gate.  Depth  of  lots  suggests  a deep  space  between  the 
houses  and  the  street,  which,  by  neighborly  agreement,  opening 
from  one  home  to  another  in  continuous  lawn,  and  planted  with 
trees  and  shrubs  for  the  common  benefit  of  all,  becomes  a broader 
expanse  of’  embellished  ground  than  is  attainable  where  shallow 
lots  force  proprietors  to  place  their  residences  closer  to  the 
street  line.  Nothing  is  lost  by  having  the  rear  part  of  one’s  lot, 
which  is  necessarily  divided  by  high  fences,  or  walls,  from 
the  neighbors,  in  a long  and  narrow,  rather  than  a shallow  or 
squarer  form.  A space  forty  feet  in  width,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  in  depth  behind  the  house,  is  more  useful  for 
planting,  and  for  domestic  purposes,  than  an  area  seventy  feet 
square,  though  the  latter  is  somewhat  the  largest.  The  specu- 
lative habit  of  cutting  up  suburban  lands  into  narrow  city  lots 
25  x 100  feet,  or  but  little  more,  destroys  all  chance  of  making  true 
suburban  improvements.  Such  lots  will  only  sell  to  citizens  who 
are  either  too  poor,  too  cockneyish,  or  too  ignorant  of  their  own 
needs,  to  insist  on  something  more ; and  cannot  be  managed  so  as 
to  attract  that  cl^ss  of  cultivated  and  intelligent  people  who  want 
rurally  suburban  homes,  and  not  city  houses  and  city  habits  on 
the  margin  of  the  country. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  RENOVATION  OF  OLD  PLACES. 

t 

WHATEVER  objection  may  be  urged  against  buying 
and  renovating  old  houses,  will  not  apply  to  the 
.purchase  of  ground  stocked  with  old  trees  and 
shrubs.  Many  a rickety,  neglected  place,  is  filled 
with  choice  old  materials,  which,  with  small  expenditures  in  clear- 
ing away  the  superfluities,  and  polishing  the  lawn,  will  group  at 
once  into  pleasing  pictures.  Such  neglected  places  may  be  com- 
pared with  a head  of  luxuriant  hair  all  uncombed  and  disorderly, 
which  needs  but  to  be  clean  and  arranged  with  taste  to  become 
a crown  of  beauty  to  the  wearer. 

Old  yards  are  generally  filled  with  mature  trees  of  choice 
species,  but  so  huddled  together,  and  filled  in  with  lank  neglected 
shrubs  and  tangled  grass,  that  one  observes  only  the  shiftlessness 
and  disorder,  and  turns  with  greater  pleasure  to  look  upon  a 
polished  lawn  with  not  a tree  upon  it : — as  in  music  a single  note 
given  purely  and  clearly  is  more  pleasing  than  the  greatest  variety 
of  sounds  making  discords  together.  But  a week’s  work  among 


THE  RENOVATION  OF  OLD  PLACES . 239 


these  medleys  of  trees  and  shrubs — the  bold  cutting  or  digging-out 
of  the  poorest  trees,  the  re-arrangement  of  the  shrubbery,  so  that 
the  sunlight  may  play  with  the  shadows  of  those  that  remain,  upon 
some  open  breadth  of  velvety  grass — and  there  will  stand  revealed 
a mass  of  beautiful  home  adornments  that  the  place  bare  of  large 
trees  and  mature  shrubs  will  envy.  Sometimes  old  fruit-trees  that 
have  had  an  air  habitually  expressive  of  hard  times  and  low  living, 
with  a little  pruning,  and  extra  feeding,  and  the  well-to-do  air  that 
a new  green  lawn-carpet  gives  them,  will  assume  a new  dress  of 
foliage,  and  wear  it  with  such  luxuriant  grace  that  they  become  the 
most  pleasing  of  trees — scarcely  recognizable  as  the  same  which  so 
lately  wore  a dejected  air. 

In  renovating  old  grounds  that  are  filled  with  mature  trees  and 
shrubs,  the  first  thing  to  be  decided  on  is  the  amount  of  clean 
cutting-out  to  be  done ; — what  had  better  be  entirely  removed  in 
order  that  something  better  may  be  developed.  “ Trimming-up,” 
instead  of  cutting-out,  is  the  common  error  of  persons  ignorant  of 
the  arts  of  sylvan  picture-making;  an  error  invariably  defended 
with  the  potent  plea  of — “/don’t  believe  in  cutting  down  shade 
trees.”  It.is  the  semblance  of  a good  reason,  and  the  best  excuse 
that  can  be  given  for  ignorance  in  an  art  which  can  only  be  taught 
by  example  to  those  who  are  not  born  with  landscape  mirrors 
in  their  hearts.  It  is  only  necessary,  however,  to  show  a dense 
grove  of  high-trimmed  trees  on  one  side,  and  then  a similar  grove 
one-third  of  which  has  been  cut  away  to  make  clear  openings  of 
sunny  lawn  through  it,  and  give  the  remaining  trees  room  to  spread 
their  bending  boughs  to  meet  the  grass,  to  feel  the  difference  be- 
tween art  that  mars,  and  art  that  reveals  natural  beauty. 

Yet  in  regard  to  “trimming-up”  there  may  be  occasions  for 
some  exceptional  treatment.  Noble  growths  of  evergreens  grow- 
ing to  the  ground  sometimes  fill  the  grounds  of  a small  place, 
obstructing  the  views  over  the  lawn  to  a serious  extent ; what  they 
conceal  being  a more  important  part  of  the  beauty  that  may  be 
developed  than  is  their  own  beauty.  To  destroy  the  trees  may 
leave  too  great  a void ; to  leave  them  as  they  are  is  to  retain  the 
gloomy  expression  that  results  from  lack  of  sunny  lawn  and  bright 
vistas  under  the  boughs  of  trees.  In  such  cases  we  would  trim 


up  old  fir  trees  just  high  enough 
to  give  a clear  view  of  the  lawn 
under  them,  as  shown  by  Fig.  44. 
The  reader  will  observe  that  a 
glimpse  of  quite  an  extent  of  lawn 
is  suggested  under  the  branches 
of  this  tree.  If,  however,  the 
branches  rested  upon  the  ground, 
the  landscape  vista  would  be 
effectually  shut  out.  The  advan- 
tage of  this  mode  of  treatment  is 
principally  on  small  grounds,  for, 
were  there  space  enough  to  secure 
ample  lawn-views  without  it,  we  would  by  no  means  recommend 
this  mode  of  securing  them. 

In  choosing  which  to  cut  out,  and  which  to  retain,  let  it  be 
observed  that  a large  tree  of  an  inferior  sort  may  be  better  worth 
preserving  than  a small  or  thin  specimen  of  varieties  that  are 
otherwise  superior.  There  is  no  more  disagreeable  impertinence 
to  the  cultivated  eye  than  the  growth  of  slender  starved  saplings 
planted  under  the  branches  of  large  trees,  and  striving  to  get  to 
the  sun  and  sky  by  thrusting  themselves  between  the  limbs  of  their 
superiors.  As  between  a sugar-maple  and  a black  oak,  for  in- 
stance, the  former  is  by  far  the  most  beautiful  and  desirable  species 
in  all  respects  ; but,  if  you  have  a well  branched  large  tree  of  the 
latter  and  only  young  sapling  maples,  we  would  sacrifice  the  sap- 
lings of  the  better  breed  for  the  mature  beauty  of  the  inferior  oak. 
There  is  a dignity  in  big  trunks,  and  loftiness,  for  which  the  pretti- 
ness of  young  trees  is  an  unsatisfactory  substitute. 

Everybody  has  heard  of  the  countryman  who  went  to  see  a city 
but  “ could  not  see  the  town,  there  were  so  many  houses  ! ” His 
quaint  speech  ludicrously  suggests  the  main  fault  of  most  old 
places  ; the  multiplicity  of  their  trees  and  shrubs  conceal  each 
other,  so  that  they  have  little  beauty  either  singly  or  in  the  mass ; 
and  they  are  rarely  so  arranged  as  to  make  the  home  they  surround 
the  centre  of  a sylvan  picture.  Wherever  there  are  large  trees 
there  must  be  proportional  breadths  of  unbroken  lawn — open  spaces 


Fig.  44. 


THE  RENOVATION  OF  OLD  PLACES . 241 


from  which  the  trees  can  be  seen,  or  their  beauty  is  of  no  avail. 
A dense  forest  around  a home  suggests  the  rudeness  of  pioneer 
life,  not  the  refinement  of  culture.  Forests  breed  timber,  not 
sylvan  beauty.  It  is  the  pasture-field,  the  park,  and  the  brook- 
space,  that  give  sun  and  scope  and  moisture  to  develop  the  sylvan 
pictures  that  painters  love.  Therefore  in  renovating  over-grown 
places,  bear  in  mind  that  the  cutting  away  of  some  of  your  old 
trees  may  be  necessary  to  reveal  and  improve  the  beauty  of  the 
others. 

Another  and  different  fault  of  many  old  places,  resulting  from 
the  effort  of  uneducated  planters  to  avoid  the  error  of  over-crowd- 
ing trees  and  shrubs,  is  that  of  distributing  them  sparsely  but 
pretty  evenly  all  over  the  place.  This  is  destructive  of  all  picture- 
like effects,  for  it  gives  neither  fine  groups,  nor  open  lawn ; and  even 
the  single  trees,  however  fine  they  may  be,  cannot  be  seen  to 
advantage,  because  there  are  no  openings  large  enough  to  see  them 
from.  This  must  be  remedied  by  clearing  out  in  some  places  and 
filling-in  in  others. 

There  is  one  value  in  the  possession  of  thrifty  saplings  of  sorts 
not  especially  desirable,  that  few  persons  know,  and  which  is  very 
rarely  made  use  of.  We  refer  to  their  usefulness  as  stocks  upon 
which  to  graft  finer  varieties,  and  by  the  greater  strength  of  their 
well-established  roots  producing  a growth  of  the  inserted  sorts 
much  more  luxuriant  and  showy  than  could  be  obtained  in  twice 
the  time  by  fresh  plantings.  The  black  oak  is  not  worth  preserv- 
ing, unless  of  large  size,  but  it  can  be  readily  grafted  with  the 
scarlet  oak.  White  oaks  in  superfluous  number  may  be  grafted 
with  the  rare  weeping  oaks  of  England,  or  the  Japan  purple  oak,  or 
some  of  the  peculiar  varieties  of  the  Turkey  oak.  The  common 
chestnut  (castanea)  may  be  grafted  with  ornamental  varieties  of  the 
Spanish  chestnut ; the  common  horse-chestnut  or  buckeye  with  a 
number  of  beautiful  and  singular  varieties ; the  common  “ thorn 
apple  ” of  the  woods  with  exquisite  varieties  of  the  English  haw- 
thorns ; and  the  same  with  maples,  elms,  and  all  those  trees  of  which 
grafts  of  novel  varieties  of  the  same  species  may  be  procured. 
Scions  of  rare  varieties  may  be  procured  at  our  leading  nurseries, 

or  by  sending  through  our  seedsmen  or  nurserymen  to  England  or 
16 


242  THE  RENOVATION  OF  OLD  PLACES. 


France  for  them  ; for  which  purpose  application  should  of  course 
be  made  as  early  as  mid-winter.  These  suggestions  about  using 
trees  to  graft  upon,  apply  only  to  young  trees.  Large  ones  should 
not  have  their  nobler  proportions  marred  by  such  work. 

Old  apple-trees  are  not  'appreciated  as  they  should  be.  No 
tree  of  its  size  has  a grander  spread.  Their  horizontal  branches 
often  have  the  majesty  of  small  park-oaks.  This  look  of  low 
breadth  and  strength  is  expressive  of  its  domestic  character,  and 
makes  it  peculiarly  appropriate  in  proximity  to  residences  of  mod- 
erate size  and  cottage  character.  Few  trees  are  in  leaf  earlier ; 
none  are  more  fragrant  or  beautiful  in  bloom ; none  bend  with  such 
a ruddy  glow  of  useful  fruit.  The  fall  of  immature  fruit  is  an  objec- 
tion to  all  fruit  trees  on  lawns.  If  the  proprietor  is  not  tidy  enough 
to  have  his  lawn  always  close  mowed  under  them,  and  all  insect- 
bitten  fruit  and  windfalls  picked  or  raked  up  as  soon  as  they  drop, 
then  he  does  not  deserve  to  have  trees  that  are  at  the  same  time 
beautiful  and  useful.*  These  remarks  apply  especially  to  full- 
grown  trees.  It  is  only  after  the  apple-tree  is  from  thirty  to  forty 
years  old  that  it  attains  a noble  expression,  and  its  best  character- 
istics, like  those  of  the  oak  and  chestnut,  are  developed  in  its 
old  age. 

Apple  or  other  low  branching  trees  that  have  become  decrepit 
from  age  or  insects,  can  be  turned  to  pleasing  use  by  cutting  off 
their  branches  several  feet  from  the  main  trunks  and  training  vines 
over  them.  The  pipe-vine  or  birthwort  ( Aristolochia  sip  ho),  with 
its  luxuriant  mass  of  large  heart-shape  leaves,  makes  a superb  show 
on  supports  of  this  kind.  Almost  any  of  our  twining  or  creeping 
vines  are  beautiful  enough  in  such  places,  and  few  more  so  than 
the  common  hop ; but  running  roses,  though  often  used  in  this  way, 
are  the  least  suitable.  Trees  whose  tops  are  not  sound  enough  to 
be  thus  used,  may  often  be  sawed  off  from  one  to  three  feet 
above  the  ground,  and  used  for  bases  of  rustic  flower-vases  or 


* We  protest  against  doing  violence  to  old  apple-trees  by  cutting  them  to  pieces  to  graft 
them  with  better  ones.  The  beauty  of  a broad  old  tree  is  worth  more  than  the  additional  value 
of  grafted  fruit  will  ever  be.  One  cannot  see  an  old  apple-tree  near  a house  thus  marred,  with- 
out thinking  that  the  owner  is  either  beauty-blind,  or  so  penurious  that  he  grudges  the  old  tree 
its  room  upon  the  lawn  unless  he  can  make  it  pay  ground-rent. 


E 


Plate  xxx\  Forms  for  Rose -Heels 


THE  RENOVATION  OF  OLD  PLACES.  243 


baskets ; provided  they  stand  in  places  where  it  is  appropriate  to 
have  flower-vases. 

Old  shrubs  of  any  of  the  standard  species,  if  of  large  size,  even 
though  unshapely,  may  often  be  turned  to  good  account  in  the 
places  where  they  stand,  by  using  them  as  centres  for  groups  of 
smaller  shrubs.  Sometimes  their  very  irregularity  of  outline  will 
make  them  picturesque  objects  to  stand  conspicuously  alone  on  the 
lawn.  Often  a shrub  of  noble  size  has  been  hid  by  inferior  shrubs 
and  trees  crowding  it,  which  may  all  be  removed  to  bring  it  into 
full  relief.  The  beauty  of  full  and  well  grown  single  specimens  of 
our  most  common  shrubs  is  as  little  known  as  though  they  were 
the  most  recent  introductions  from  Japan.  Not  one  American  in 
a thousand,  even  among  those  most  observant  of  sylvan  forms,  has 
ever  seen  a perfectly  grown  bush-honeysuckle,  lilac,  snow-ball,  or 
syringa,  though  every  suburban  home  in  the  land  is  filled  with 
them.  Growing  either  in  crowded  clumps,  or  under  trees,  or  in 
poor  uncultivated  sodden  soil,  we  have  learned  to  love  them  merely 
for  their  lavish  beauty  of  bloom,  and  have  not  yet  learned  what 
breadth  and  grace  of  foliage  they  develop  when  allowed  to  spread 
from  the  beginning,  on  an  open  lawn. 

There  are  no  worse  misplantings  in  most  old  grounds  than  old 
rose-bushes,  whose  annual  sprouts  play  hide-and-seek  with  the 
rank  grass  they  shelter — roses  which  the  occupants  from  time  im- 
memorial have  remembered  gratefully  for  their  June  bloom,  till 
their  sweetness  and  beauty  have  become  associated  with  the 
tangled  grass  they  grow  in.  There  is  no  reason  for  having  a lawn 
broken  by  such  plants.  Rose-bushes  do  better  for  occasional  trans- 
plantings, and  their  bloom  and  foliage  is  always  finer  in  cultivated, 
than  in  grassy  ground.  Mass  them  where  they  can  be  cultivated 
and  enriched  together.  Plate  XXXI  shows  many  forms  for  rose- 
beds,  and  by  using  care  in  keeping  the  strongest  growers  nearest 
the  centre,  varieties  enough  may  be  displayed  in  one  snug  bed  to 
spoil  a quarter-acre  lawn  planted  in  the  old  way — “ wherever  there 
is  a good  open  space” — precisely  the  space  that  should  not  be 
broken  by  anything,  least  of  all  by  such  straggling  growers  as 
roses. 

Do  not  be  in  haste  to  decide  where  the  shrubs  you  dig  up  shall 


M4  THE  RENOVATION  OF  OLD  PLAGES. 

be  planted  again.  When  the  air  and  sun  have  been  let  in  to  the 
roots  and  tops  of  the  best  large  trees  and  shrubs,  and  the  lawn  is 
completed  about  them,  it  may  be  that  the  effect  of  your  lawn,  and 
the  trees  that  shadow  it,  will  be  nobler  it  you  omit  altogether  all 
the  smaller  shrubs.  Large  trees  and  shrubs  are  robbed  of  half 
their  beauty  if  they  have  not  a fair  expanse  of  unbroken  lawn 
around  them. 

Vines  on  Old  Trees. — Some  evergreens,  the  balsam-fir  for 
instance,  and  the  hemlock  when  it  is  old,  become  gloomy-looking 
trees.  The  black  oak  and  red  oak  have  also  a similar  expression, 
though  entirely  different  in  form.  If  such  trees  stand  where  more 
cheerful  and  elegant  trees  are  needed,  the  desired  improvement 
may  be  made  by  enriching  the  ground  near  their  trunks,  and  plant- 
ing at  their  base,  on  both  sides,  such  vines  as  the  Chinese  wistaria 
and  the  trumpet-creeper,  which  will  cover  them  to  their  summits  in 
a few  years  with  a mass  of  graceful  spray  and  luxuriant  leafage.* 
The  Chinese  wistaria  is  probably  better  adapted  to  cover  lofty 
trees  than  other  climbers,  but  the  trumpet-creeper,  Virginia-creep- 
er,  the  native  varieties  of  the  clematis,  and  the  Japan  and  Chinese 
honeysuckles,  may  all  be  used.  The  wild  grape-vine  is  admirable 
for  filling  up  trees  of  thin  and  straggling  growth,  such  as  the  oaks 
before  named.  The  hardy  grape,  known  as  the  Clinton,  is  well 
adapted  to  this  use,  while  very  good  wine  can  be  made  of  its 
fruit.  Perhaps  no  flowering  vine  excels  it  in  luxuriance  of  foliage- 
drapery,  but  its  prolific  fruitage  renders  it  necessary  to  bestow  a 
good  deal  of  time  in  gathering  the  clusters  scattered  among  the 
branches  of  a lofty  tree.  There  is  no  question  that  the  value  of 
the  fruit  will  far  more  than  pay  for  the  labor,  but  unless  picked 
clean  every  year  it  may  disfigure  both  the  tree  and  the  lawn. 
Whether  the  birds  will  insure  against  any  damage  of  this  kind  we 
have  not  had  the  means  of  learning. 


♦An  exquisite  example  of  the  effect  of  such  planting  is  an  old  hemlock  at  “Cottage  Place,” 
Germantown,  Pa.  The  tree  is  three  feet  in  diameter  and  eighty  feet  high.  At  a little  distance  it 
cannot  be  recognized  as  a hemlock,  so 'completely  is  its  lofty  summit  crowned  with  a magnificent 
drapery  of  the  waving  foliage  of  the  Chinese  wistaria.  A root  of  the  wistaria  was  planted  on  each 
side  of  the  trunk.  Their  stems  are  now  from  six  to  eight  inches  in  diameter. 


THE  RENOVATION  OF  OLD  PLACES.  245 


In  conclusion,  it  may  be  safely  said  that  new  places  rarely 
afford  a skillful  planter  such  opportunities  for  making  quick  and 
beautiful  effects  at  small  cost  as  old  places  of  similar  extent.  Our 
town  suburbs  would  in  a half  dozen  years  be  more  beautiful  than 
most  persons  can  conceive  possible,  even  without  the  addition  of 
a single  new  home,  provided  all  the  old  homes  could  feel  the  renovat- 
ing hands  of  true  artists  in  home-grounds , and  be  kept  up  in  the 
same  spirit.  The  metamorphosis  of  such  places,  from  cluttered 
aggregations  of  superfluities,  to  gleaming  lawns,  smilingly  intro- 
ducing the  beholder  to  beautiful  trees  and  flowers  that  luxuriate  in 
the  new-made  space  and  sun  around  them,  is  too  great  not  to  in- 
spire those  who  have  profited  by  the  change  to  preserve  the  beauty 
that  may  so  easily  be  brought  to  light. 

Old  Houses. — Old  places  which  have  houses  “just  good  enough 
not  to  move  off  or  tear  down,”  are  greatly  undervalued  by  most 
purchasers.  It  is  not  quite  in  the  scope  of  this  work  to  put  in  a 
plea  for  old  houses,  but  we  must  confess  to  a very  loving  partiality 
for  them  when  tastefully  renovated.  No  one,  however,  but  an 
architect  who  is  known  to  have  a tasteful  faculty  for  such  adapta- 
tions should  be  employed  to  direct  the  work.*  There  is  a thought- 
less prejudice  in  the  minds  of  most  Americans  against  all  things 
which  are  not  span-new ; and  we  have  met  men  of  such  ludicrous 
depravity  of  taste  in  this  respect,  as  to  cut  down  fine  old  trees  in 
order  to  have  room  to  plant  some  pert  and  meagre  little  nurslings 
of  their  own  buying  i Although  houses  do  not  grow  great  by  age, 
like  trees,  yet,  where  strongly  built  at  first,  and  afterwards  well 
occupied,  they  acquire  certain  quaint  expressions  which  are  the 
very  aroma  of  pleasing  homes ; which  nothing  but  age  can  give  a 
home ; and  this  beauty  of  some  old  houses  should  be  as  lovingly 
preserved  as  that  of  the  aged  apple,  maple,  or  elm  trees  around 
them. 


* The  attention  of  the  reader  is  commended  to  Vaux’  “ Villas  and  Cottages,”  page  205,  for 
some  valuable  remarks  on  this  subject. 


I 

I 


/mu 


CHAPTER  XVI  I. 

FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTS,  AND  TIIEIR  SETTINGS* 

We  are  the  sweet  flowers 
Bom  of  sunny  showers, 

(Think  whene'er  you  see  us,  what  our  beauty  saith), 

Utterance  mute  and  bright, 

Of  some  unknown  delight, 

We  fill  the  air  with  pleasure  by  our  simple  breath: 

All  who  see  us,  love  us ; 

We  befit  our  places; 

Unto  sorrow  we  give  smiles,  unto  graces — races. 


See  (and  scorn  all  duller 
Taste)  how  heaven  loves  color ; 

How  great  Nature  clearly  joys  in  red  and  green ; 

What  sweet  thoughts  she  thinks, 

Of  violets  and  pinks, 

And  a thousand  flushing  hues  made  solely  to  be  seen ; 

See  her  whited  lilies 
Chill  the  silver  showers, 

And  what  a red  mouth  is  her  rose,  the  woman  of  her  flowers. 

Chorus  of  Flowers,  Leigh  Hunt. 


AS  all  vegetable  productions,  from  the  greatest  trees  to  the 
minute  mosses,  are  equally  flowering  plants,  it  is  to  be 
understood  that  the  subject  of  flowers,  as  here  treated, 
is  limited  to  observations  on  annuals,  perennials,  and 
bedding  plants. 


FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTS , 


247 


Considering  such  flowers  as  the  finishing  decorations  of  a 
home,  as  accessory  embellishments  rather  than  principal  features, 
it  is  desired  to  suggest  the  places  where  they  may  be  put  with  the 
best  effect  rather  than  to  give  descriptions  of  even  a small  number 
of  their  almost  innumerable  variety.  The  immense  collections  of 
our  leading  seedsmen,  and  their  beautifully  illustrated  catalogues, 
give  a bewildering  sense  of  the  folly  of  attempting  to  know,  much 
less  to  grow,  a hundredth  part  of  those  which  are  reputed  desira- 
ble ; and  they  also  force  upon  us  the  wise  reflection  that  the  good 
growth  and  skilful  arrangement  of  a few  species  only,  will  produce 
effects  quite  as  pleasing  as  can  be  attained  with  the  greatest 
variety. 

Annuals,  perennials,  and  bedding  plants  are  used  in  three 
tolerably  distinct  modes,  viz.  : First,  in  narrow  beds  bordering  a 
straight  walk  to  a main  entrance,  or  skirting  the  main  walk  of  a 
kitchen-garden.  Second,  in  a variety  of  beds  of  more  or  less 
symmetrical  patterns,  grouped  to  form  a flower-garden  or  parterre, 
to  be  an  object  of  interest  independent  of  its  surroundings. 
Third,  as  adjuncts  and  embellishments  of  a lawn,  of  groups  of 
shrubs,  of  walks  and  window  views,  to  be  planted  with  reference  to 
their  effect  in  connection  with  other  things. 

On  large  and  expensively  kept  grounds  all  these  styles  may  be 
maintained  in  appropriate  places  respectively.  But  on  small 
lots  the  first  or  the  last  mode  should  be  adopted,  though  some- 
times both  may  be  desirable. 

The  simplest  and  rudest  mode  of  planting  in  the  first  style,  is 
to  border  a walk  closely  with  a continuous  bed  from  two  to  four 
feet  wide,  filled  with  flowering  plants  of  all  sizes  and  shapes  and 
periods  of  bloom, — here  overhanging  the  walk  with  unkempt  growth, 
like  weeds,  there  leaving  a broad  barren  spot  where  spring-flowers 
have  bloomed  and  withered.  Fortunately  this  mode  is  becoming 
less  common,  and  the  pretty  setting  of  a margin  of  well-cut  grass 
is  better  appreciated  than  formerly. 

Flower-beds  cut  in  the  grass  have  a more  pleasing  effect  than 
when  bordered  by  gravel-walks.  When  made  as  marginal  embel- 
lishments of  straight  walks,  they  should  rarely  be  cut  nearer  than 
two  feet  from  the  side  of  the  walk  if  they  are  of  much  length 


248  FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTS , 


parallel  with  it ; but  where  the  openings  between  the  beds  are 
frequent,  or  the  beds  are  in  circles  or  squares  with  their  points 
to  the  walk,  one  foot  of  grass  between  their  nearest  points  and  the 
walk  will  answer.  Narrow  beds  of  formal  outlines  or  geometric 
forms  of  a simple  character,  are  preferable  to  irregular  ones.  All 
complicated  “ curlecue  ” forms  should  be  avoided.  Plate  XXX 
shows  a variety  of  shapes  for  flower-beds  on  straight  walks.  Such 
beds  must,  of  course,  be  proportioned  in  size  and  form  to  the 
dimensions  of  the  lawn  in  which  they  are  cut.  They  should  never 
be  planted  where  there  is  not  a space  of  open  lawn  back  of  them 
equal  at  least  in  average  width  to  the  distance  across  the  walk 
from  one  bed  to  another.  Being  close  to  the  eyes  of  all  those  who 
use  the  walks,  they  must  be  planted  and  kept  with  a care  that  is 
less  essential  in  beds  seen  from  a greater  distance.  This  style  of  • 
cultivation  necessitates  far  more  labor  than  the  third,  which  we 
have  adopted  in  most  of  the  plans  for  suburban  lots.  To  keep  a 
great  number  of  small  beds  filled  through  the  summer  with  low 
blooming  flowers,  and  their  edges  well  cut,  is  expensive  ; and,  if 
they  are  also  planned  so  that  the  grass  strips  between  them  must 
be  cut  with  a sickle,  few  gentlemen  of  moderate  means  will  long 
have  the  patience  to  keep  them  with  the  nice  care  essential  to  their 
good  effect. 

The  border-beds  shown  on  Plate  XXX,  are  all  arranged 
so  that  a rolling  lawn-cutter  may  be  used  easily  by  hand  be- 
tween them.  These  plans  are  especially  adapted  to  places  with 
straight  main  walks,  where  the  gentleman  or  lady  of  the  house  is 
an  enthusiastic  florist.  Walk  No.  i shows  a row  of  round  beds 
from  two  to  three  feet  in  diameter  on  each  side  ; the  alternate 
circles  to  be  filled  with  bushy  single  plants  from  one  and  a half  to 
two  feet  high,  and  the  others  with  low  bedding  flowers  that  do  not 
exceed  six  inches  in  height.  Nos.  2,  3,  and  4 are  narrow  strips, 
and  circles  or  squares  alternated.  Such  slender  evergreens  as  the 
Irish  juniper,  clipped  tree-box,  and  some  of  the  many  dwarf  firs, 
may  be  used  with  good  effect  in  some  of  these  circles,  but  must 
not  be  too  frequent.  The  beds  at  the  sides  of  walks  5 and  6, 
require  more  lawn-room  on  each  side,  and  will  look  best  filled, 
each,  with  a single  color  of  the  lowest  bedding-plants.  The 


- , 


Plale  XXX 


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O 

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O <=> 

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Walk 

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5.  Walk  6 


8 Walk 


9. 


Q 


AND  THEIR  SETTINGS. 


249 


same  remark  will  apply  to  the  beds  on  walks  8 and  n.  Walks  7 
and  10  have  larger  beds  suitable  for  filling  with  plants  of  different 
colors  and  heights.  The  former  is  intended  to  be  bordered, 
between  the  beds,  with  square  boxes  filled  with  plants  from  the 
conservatory,  and  back  of  them,  in  the  circles,  clipped  dwarf  ever- 
greens ; the  latter  (10)  is  to  have  the  small  circles  next  the  walk 
occupied  by  a succession  of  pot-plants  in  bloom,  set  in  larger  pots 
buried  in  the  grass  to  receive  them,  so  that  the  former  can  be 
taken  up  and  put  one  side  when  the  grass  is  to  be  cut. 

Flower-beds  which  are  not  more  than  two  feet  in  width,  and  on 
the  borders  of  walks,  should  have  no  plqnts  in  them  more  than 
eighteen  inches  high,  including  the  height  of  the  flower-stalks,  and 
plants  from  six  to  fifteen  inches  in  height  have  the  best  effect.  In 
wider  beds,  by  placing  the  low  growing  sorts  in  front,  or  on  the 
outside  edges  of  the  beds,  the  higher  show  to  good  advantage 
behind  them. 

In  sowing  flower-seeds,  which  are  intended  to  cover  a bed, 
put  them  in  drills  across  the  bed  so  that  a hoe  may  be  used  be- 
tween the  plants  when  they  appear. 

To  make  a fine  display  throughout  the  season,  in  beds  for  low 
flowers,  it  is  necessary  to  have  at  least  two  sets  or  crops  of  plants ; 
one  from  bulbs,  such  as  snow-drops,  crocuses,  jonquils,  hyacinths, 
and  tulips,  all  of  which  may  be  planted  in  October,  to  bloom  the 
following  spring;  while  the  bedding-plants  for  the  later  bloom, 
such  as  verbenas,  portulaccas,  phlox  drummondii,  etc.,  etc.,  are 
being  started.  The  bulbs  of  the  former  should  remain  in  the 
ground  till  June  and  July  to  ripen,  but  the  summer  blooming  plants 
can  be  planted  between  the  bulbs,  so  that  the  latter  can  be  re- 
moved without  disarranging  the  former.  Persons  having  good  hot- 
bed frames,  or  a green-house  to  draw  from,  may  make  more 
brilliant  beds  by  more  frequent  changes,  but  two  crops,  if  well 
managed,  will  be  quite  satisfactory. 

Few  persons  are  aware  of  the  grand  displays  that  may  be  made 
in  a single  season  by  the  use  of  those  annuals,  perennials,  and 
bedding-plants  which  grow  quickly  to  great  size.  Proprietors  com- 
mencing with  bare  grounds  can  make  them  very  effective  tempo- 
rary substitutes  for  shrubbery.  Many  species,  especially  those 


250  FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTS, 

half-hardy  plants  of  recent  introduction,  which  are  remarkable  for 
the  great  size,  or  rich  colors  of  their  leaves,  are  large  enough  to 
form,  by  themselves,  groups  of  considerable  size  and  beauty,  from 
midsummer  till  frost.  Of  these,  the  different  varieties  of  the 
ricinus  (castor-bean  plants)  are  the  most  imposing  in  height, 
breadth,  and  size  of  leaves.  The  tree  ricinus,  R.  borboniensis 
arboreus , grows  in  one  season  to  the  height  of  fifteen  feet ; the  R. 
sanguineous , ten  feet ; the  silver-leaved,  R.  africanus  albidus , eight 
feet,  and  the  common  castor-oil  bean,  R.  communis,  five  feet. 
These  are  all  great  spreading  plants.  The  arunda  donax  is  a tall 
plant  resembling  the  sug^r-cane,  grows  rapidly  to  the  height  of  ten 
feet,  and  takes  up  but  little  room  horizontally.  The  magnificent 
cannas  are  of  all  sizes,  from  two  to  seven  feet  in  height,  and  mass 
well  either  in  beds  by  themselves,  or  with  low  plants  of  lighter- 
colored  foliage  in  front  of  them,  and  the  arunda  donax  or  the  Japan- 
ese striped  maize  behind  them.  The  Japanese  striped  maize  is  a 
curiously  beautiful  species  of  corn  from  four  to  six  feet  in  height, 
with  leaves  brightly  striped  with  white  and  green.  The  hollyhocks 
are  noble  perennials  greatly  neglected.  Few  plants  make  so  showy 
a display  massed  in  beds,  to  be  seen  at  a little  distance.  Height, 
three  to  six  feet.  The  wigandia  caracasana  is  a very  robust 
bedding-plant  which  attains  the  height  of  six  feet,  and  is  remark- 
able for  the  size  and  beauty  of  its  leaves.  The  Nicotea  atro- 
purpurea  gratidiflora  is  also  noticeable  for  the  robust  beauty  of  its 
foliage,  to  which  is  added  the  charm  of  showy  dark-red  blossoms. 
The  beauty  of  the  gorgeous-leaved  colleus  verschafelti  is  pretty 
well  known.  In  the  open  sun,  and  in  rich  moist  soil,  each  plant 
will  form  a compact  mass  of  foliage  two  feet  in  height  and 
breadth.  It  also  makes  a brilliant  border  for  the  larger  plants. 
The  larger  geraniums  can  also  be  used  for  the  sarrie  purpose,  and 
sweet  peas,  the  larger  cenotheras,  the  lillium  giganteum,  and  many 
others,  are  good  taller  plants  to  place  behind  them.  While  masses 
of  shrubs  usually  display  their  greatest  floral  beauty  in  the  spring 
and  early  summer,  these  grand  annuals  and  semi-tropical  plants 
attain  their  greatest  luxuriance  of  leaf  and  bloom  at  the  season’s 
close.  The  brilliantly-colored  or  variegated-leaved  plants,  most  of 
which  are  half-hardy,  require  to  be  propagated  and  grown  in  pots 


AND  THEIR  SETTINGS. 


251 


in  the  green-house,  but  flourish  in  the  open  ground  during  the 
summer  months  with  great  luxuriance,  and  are  among  the  brightest 
and  most  interesting  features  of  suburban  lawns.  We  have  named 
but  few  out  of  many  of  the  plants  suitable  for  forming  showy 
masses  or  conspicuous  single  specimens.  Descriptive  lists  of  all 
which  are  valuable  may  be  found  in  the  illustrated  catalogues  of 
the  great  florists  and  nurserymen. 


Fig.  45,  drawn  to  the  scale  of  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  to  one 
foot,  is  a design  for  a group  of  small  beds  to  border  a straight  short 
walk  on  each  side,  and  opposite  each  other.  A low  broad 
vase  for  flowers  occupies  the  centre ; the  beds  2,  2,  to  be 
filled  with  brilliant  bedding  bulbs  for  a spring  bloom,  and 
such  plants  as  verbenas,  phlox  drummondii,  and  portulaccas  for 
the  summer  and  autumn  bloom.  The  larger  beds  3 and  4 
(which  would  be  better  if  finished  with  a small  circle  at  their 
points),  will  have  a good  effect  filled  first  with  bedding-bulbs 
like  the  former,  and  afterwards  with  a variety  of  geraniums 
diminishing  in  size  towards  the  point  of  the  bed ; or  roots  of  the 
great  Japan  lily,  Lillium  duration^  may  be  planted  in  the  widest 
part  of  the  beds  to  show  their  regal  flowers  above  the  masses  of 
the  geraniums.  If  such  a variety  of  green-house  flowers  is  greater 
than  the  planter  wishes  to  procure,  these  larger  beds,  two  on  each 
side  of  the  walk,  may  be  filled  very  showily  with  petunias  in  one, 
dwarf  perennial  poppies  in  another,  dwarf  salvias  in  another,  and 
coxcombs  or  pinks  in  another.  The  vase,  if  a broad  one,  may 
have  a plant  of  Japanese  striped  maize  for  its  centre,  two  colleus 
verschafclti , and  two  mountain-of-snow  geraniums  alternated 
around  it,  and  around  the  edge  of  the  vase  the  vinca  elegantissima , 
the  lobelia  erinns  paxtoni , the  tropccolium,  or  some  half  a dozen 
other  drooping  plants  of  brilliant  foliage  and  blossoms  which  a 
florist  may  name. 


Fig.  45. 


Wallt 


252 


FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTSy 


^ <X>  3>  CD 


Fig.  46. 


Fig.  46  is  a group  of  five  small 
beds  on  the  outside  of  a circular 
walk.  No.  1 may  be  filled  with 


four  canna  plants  of  sorts  from 


Walk. 


three  to  four  feet  high  ; the  beds 
2,  and  2,  one  with  Lady  Pollock 
geranium,  and  the  other  with 


some  one  gorgeous-leaved  plant  of  about  the  same  size ; and  beds 
3 and  4 with  brilliant  trailing  flowers. 


Fig.  47  is  a group  of  beds  requiring  more  space,  and  adapted 
to  the  inner  side  of  a curved  walk  where  there  is  considerable 
depth  of  lawn  behind.  V — is  a large  low  vase.  The  circular  ex- 
tremities a,  a,  a,  may  be  filled  with  compact  specimens  of  curious- 
leaved plants  like  the  Lady  Pollock,  or  mountain-of-snow  gera- 
nium, colleus  verschafeltiy  iresene  herbstiiy  etc.,  etc. ; or  they  may 
be  more  permanently  occupied  by  such  very  dwarf  evergreens  as 
the  Abies  nigra  pumula , the  garden  boxwood,  or  the  Androrneda 
Jioribunda.  The  narrow  parts  of  the  two  beds  next  to  the  walks 
should  be  occupied  by  some  shrubby  little  annuals  or  perennials 
which  do  not  exceed  nine  inches  in  height,  and  the  balance  of  the 
beds  filled  with  plants  increasing  in  size  towards  the  vase,  none  of 
which,  however,  should  be  higher  than  the  top  of  the  vase.  The 
rear  bed  should  be  filled  in  a similar  manner,  and  being  further 
from  the  walk,  may  be  occupied  with  showy  plants  of  coarser 
foliage  than  the  front  beds.  By  an  error  in  the  drawing  the  circu- 
lar front  of  the  back  bed  is  made  further  from  the  vase  than  the 
side  ones.  It  should  be  made  larger  in  the  direction  of  the  vase, 
and  have  its  corners  truncated  like  the  others. 


Fig.  47. 


Walk 


AND  THEIR  SETTINGS. 


253 


Fig.  48  is  a circular  series  of  eight  beds 
formed  on  an  octagonal  plan,  with  a large 
vase  for  flowers  in  the  centre,  a width  of  four 
feet  in  lawn  around  the  vase,  and  the  beds, 
five  feet  in  length,  radiating  as  shown.  The 
plan  is  suitable  for  an  open  space,  to  give  ® 
interest  to  a window  view,  or  to  face  a- 
porch  where  the  entrance-walk  runs  parallel 
with  the  house.  So  many  different  plants 
may  here  be  used  with  good  effect,  that, 
whichever  we  may  name,  may  be  bettered 
by  a more  skillful  florist.  Yet  we  will  suggest  for  the  widest  part 
of  these  beds,  stools  of  the  eight  finest  Japan  lilies,  to  be  sur- 
rounded by  fall  planted  bulbs  that  bloom  in  April  and  May,  which 
can  be  removed  by  the  first  of  June ; these  to  be  followed  by  such 
plants  as  gladiolus  and  tuberoses,  on  the  ends  nearest  the  vase, 
and  by  the  finest  eight  varieties  of  compact  geraniums  in  the  outer 
circles.  Or  the  beds  may  be  planted  with  an  entirely  fresh  variety 
of  flowers  every  year. 

Fig.  49  is  a group  of  flower-beds  suita- 
ble to  place  at  the  end  of  a walk  or  at  the 
intersection  of  diverging  walks.  A rustic 
or  other  vase  is  here,  also,  the  centre  of  the 
group,  with  four  or  five  feet  of  lawn  around 
it.  The  beds  a , <a,  should  be  filled  with 
flowers  that  do  not  exceed  six  or  nine 
inches  in  height.  The  beds  b , c,  and  df  are 
large  enough  to  allow  of  considerable  vari- 
ety in  their  composition.  The  two  smaller 
ones  should  have  no  plants  that  grow 
higher  than  two  feet,  while  in  the  middle  of 
the  bed  d,  and  in  the  trefoil  end,  may  be  planted  those  which  grow 
from  three  to  five  feet  in  height. 

Fig*  5°  (drawn  to  a scale  of  one-twelfth  of  an  inch  to  one  foot) 
requires  a larger  space  such  as  that  made  by  the  turn  circle  of  a 
roadway,  or  a place  where  a walk  or  road  describes  the  segment  of 
a circle  with  an  open  lawn  on  the  inside  of  the  curve.  A tree  might 


Fig.  49. 


254  FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTS , 

be  planted  at  the  centre,  where  a vase  is  designated,  and  these  beds 
could  be  formed  around  it  for  half  a dozen  years  or  more,  or  until 
the  shade  from  its  branches  renders  the  location  unsuitable  for 

the  growth  of  flowers.  If  a tree 
Fig-  5°-  be  not  preferred,  then  the  single 

vase,  or  a large  basket-vase  with  a 
smaller  vase  rising  out  of  it,  would 
be  the  most  appropriate  centre- 
piece for  such  a group.  The  four 
principal  beds  are  about  twelve 
feet  in  length  on  their  middle  lines, 
and  two  and  a half  feet  in  greatest 
diameter.  The  dots  show  places 
for  nine  robust  and  compact  plants, 
which  may  be  from  four  to  live 
feet  in  height  in  the  centre,  and 
diminish  to  one  foot  at  each  end. 
Where  good  plants  can  be  ob- 
tained from  a green-house,  we  recommend  for  the  centre  of  one 
bed  the  Canna  coccinea  vera , or  the  C.  Lindlcyana,  which  grow 
to  five  feet  in  height,  to  be  flanked  with  pairs,  divided  one  on 
each  side,  of  the  following  varieties,  viz. : the  C.  limbata  major , 
four  feet  high  ; the  C.  bioolor  de  Java , three  feet ; C.  jiaccida , three 
feet ; C.  compacta  elegantissima,  two  feet ; and  C.  augustifolia 
na?ia  pallida , one  foot.  Many  other  varieties  will  do  just  as 
well  as  the  ones  named,  provided  they  are  of  a size  to  diminish 
symmetrically  from  the  centre  to  the  ends  of  the  bed.  For  the 
centre  of  another  bed  the  Nicoteaiia  atro-purpurea  grandijlora , a 
noble,  large-leaved  plant,  that  grows  five  feet  in  height,  and 
bears  panicles  of  dark-red  blossoms ; next  to  this  on  either  side  a 
plant  of  Canna  gigantea  splendidissima , three  feet ; then  a pair  of 
Aca?ithus  mollis , three  feet ; next  the  Amaranthus  bicolor , two 
feet ; and  for  the  ends,  the  Lady  Pollock  geranium,  one  to  two 
feet.  For  the  centre  of  a third  bed  the  Wigandia  Caracas  ana  may 
be  used,  being  another  of  the  splendid  leaved  plants  recently  intro- 
duced. It  grows  to  the  height  of  six  feet.  This  may  be  flanked 
on  either  side  with  the  Riciniis  communis,  four  to  five  feet  high ; 


AND  THEIR  SETTINGS. 


255 


next  to  these  a mass  of  hollyhocks  of  stocky  growth  ; next  the 
Mirabilis  (four  o’clock),  and  on  the  points  the  Colleus  verschafelti. 
In  the  centre  of  the  fourth  bed  jpiay  be  a stool  of  Japanese  striped 
maize,  five  to  six  feet  high ; next  on  either  side  a plant  of  the 
striped-leaved  Canna  zebrina , five  feet  high ; next,  and  in  the 
centre-line  of  the  bed,  the  Lillium  auratum , with  the  Lillium  longi- 
floruvi  near  the  edge  of  the  bed ; next  the  ■ Salvia  argentia , three 
feet  ; and  for  the  ends  of  the  bed  the  Amaranthus  melancholicus 
ruber , one  to  two  feet  high.  The  four  outside  circles  may  be  filled 
respectively  with  the  Colleus  verschafelti , of  gorgeous  crimson  and 
purple  leaves  ; the  mountain-of-snow  geranium,  with  white  foliage 
and  scarlet  flowers ; the  Amaranthus  bicolor , with  green  and  crim- 
son leaves ; and  the  Lady  Pollock  geranium  with  variegated 
leaves.  The  vase  for  a group  of  beds  of  this  size  should  be  large, 
and  well  filled  in  the  centre  with  gay-leaved  plants,  with  more  deli- 
cate foliage  drooping  over  its  sides.  If  such  groups  are  made 
without  a vase  in  the  centre,  we  suggest  in  place  of  it,  the  planting 
of  an  Arunda  donax  within  a circle  of  Japanese  maize,  the  bed  to 
be  about  three  feet  in  diameter,  and  well  enriched ; or  the  Irish 
juniper  may  be  planted  as  a permanent  and  more  formal  centre. 

Fig.  51  is  a design  for  a number  of  beds  occupying  so  great 
a space  that  it  would  constitute  a flower-garden.  The  centre  bed 
is  supposed  to  be  cut  within  a circle  of  four  feet  radius,  so  that 
it  will  be  eight  feet  in  diameter  from  point  to  point.  The  eight 
circular  beds  surrounding  it  are  each  three  and  a half  feet  in 
diameter,  and  laid  out  so  that  their  centres  are  on  a circle  eight 
feet  from  the  main  centre.  The  inside  ends  of  the  outer  circle  of 
beds  are  segments  of  circles  struck  from  the  centres  of  the  small 
beds,  and  may  be  made  of  any  form  that  the  surrounding  features 
of  the  place  suggest.  The  most  elegant  feature  for  the  centre  of 
the  central  bed  would  be  a broad  shallow  vase  two  feet  in  height, 
and  four  in  breadth,  on  top,  elevated  on  a pedestal  two  feet 
high,  which  should  be  concealed  by  a dense  mass  of  shrubby 
flowering  plants  around  it ; the  sides  of  the  vase  to  be  draped 
with  pendulous  plants  overhanging  its  sides,  and  its  centre  filled 
with  plants  of  a tropical  appearance.  Next  in  elegance  to  the  large 
vase-centre  would  be  a basket-bed  similar  to  the  one  shown  in  the 


256  FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTS , 


Fig.  51. 


engraving  at  the  end  of  this  chapter.  This  would  require  a different 
style  of  planting.  Supposing  its  base  to  be  four  feet  in  diameter, 
there  would  be  a margin  of  two  feet  all  around  it  for  low  trailing 
flowers.  The  design  for  a basket-vase  is  intended  for  an  open  lawn, 
and  shows  a collection  of  plants  quite  different  from  what  would  be 
best  for  the  design  under  consideration.  Here  we  would  have  for 
its  centre  a single  group  of  the  Ccuina  sanguined  chatei , surrounded 
by  a circle  of  Japanese  maize  ; next  a circle  of  Salvia  argentea , and 
for  the  outside  border  the  Lady  Pollock  geranium  inter-planted  with 
some  of  the  slender,  drooping,  light-leaved  plants,  named  farther  on 
in  this  chapter,  for  the  decoration  of  vases. 

If  this  central  bed  is  to  have  neither  a pedestal-vase  nor  basket- 
vase,  it  may  still  be  made  the  most  conspicuous  point  of  interest  in 
the  parterre  with  plants  alone.  It  is  desirable  that  the  lawn  should 
rise  gently  towards  it  on  all  sides,  and  that  the  bed  be  raised  in 
the  centre  as  much  as  may  be  without  making  the  earth  liable  to 
be  washed  upon  the  lawn.  In  the  centre,  if  this  flower-garden  is 
intended  to  be  permanent , we  would  plant  the  remarkable  variety  of 
the  European  silver  fir,  known  as  the  Picea  pectinata  pendula , or 
the  variety  of  the  Norway  spruce,  known  as  the  Abies  excelsa  in- 
verta , shown  in  Fig.  52  ; and  around  it  a circle  of  the  tallest  Japan 
lilies  ; next  a circle  of  the  mountain-of-snowr  geranium  alternated 


AND  THEIR  SETTINGS. 


257 


with  gladiolii ; and  for  the  outside  of  the  same  bed,  the  Colleus 
verschafelti \ alternated  with  the  Lady  Pollock  geranium.  Some 
years  will  be  required  to  grow  the  evergreens  named  to  the  size 
that  will  make  them  appropriate  centres  for  such  a parterre.  If  a 
showy  bed  is  required  the  first  season  without  the  use  of  either 
vase,  basket,  or  evergreen  tree-centre,  the  following  plants  may  be 
suggested  to  effect  it,  viz.  : for  the  centre,  the  Canna  gigantea 
auriantica , ten  feet  high ; around  it  on  a circle  eighteen  inches 
from  the  centre,  the  Canna  sanguinea  chatei , six  feet  high,  to  be 
planted  one  foot  apart  in  the  circle  ; next  on  a circle  one  foot 
further  out,  the  Salvia  argentea,  or  the  mountain-of-snow  geranium, 
to  be  planted  one  foot  apart  in  the  circle  ; for  the  next  circle, 
one  foot  from  the  same,  the  Amaranthus  melancholicus  raber,  a 
plant  of  deep-red  foliage  from  one  to  two  feet  high ; and  for  the 
edge  of  the  bed  the  fern-like  low  white-leaved  Centaurea  gymno- 
carpa ; or  if  plants  of  the  latter  are  too  expensive  to  use  freely, 
make  a border  of  the  common  Indian  pink,  or  the  blue  lobelia. 
These  plants,  if  successfully  grown,  will  make  a magnificent  bed 
from  midsummer  till  frost.  For  a display  in  the  first  half  of  the 
season,  early  blooming  bulbous  flowers  must  be  relied  upon.  We 
have  thus  far  considered  only  the  central-bed  of  the  group  shown 
in  Fig.  51,  and  have  suggested  various  modes  of  treating  it  which 
would  be  equally  applicable  to  a round  bed  of  the  size  named,  were 
it  disconnected  with  the  surrounding  beds.  For  the  small  circular- 
beds,  each  alternate  one  may  have  a cluster  of  the  Japanese  striped 
maize  in  its  centre ; the  other  four  beds  might  have  in  their 
centres  the  Canna  flaccida , the  Nicotiana  atropurpurea  grandiflora , 
the  Canna  gigantea  splendidissima,  and  the  Wigandia  caracasana. 
Around  their  edges  may  be  planted  any  well-foliaged  flowering- 
plants  which  do  not  exceed  nine  inches  in  height,  and  a different 
species  in  each  bed.  The  outside  tier  of  beds  are  for  low  bedding 
flowers  or  annuals,  which  should  not  exceed  fifteen  inches  in  height 
for  the  centres,  or  more  than  six  inches  near  the  borders. 

Fig.  52  represents  a circular-bed  with  one  of  the  pendulous  firs 
mentioned  in  a preceding  page,  in  its  centre,  and  such  tall  growing 
brilliant  flowers  as  the  Japan  lilies  and  gladiolii  next  to  it ; a circle 
of  petunias  around  them  ; and  creeping  plants  near  the  margin. 
*7 


258  FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTS , 


The  common  firs  are  often  planted  to  form  centres  for  such  beds, 
but  they  soon  grow  to  such  over-shadowing  size  as  to  be  quite  un- 
suitable. The  weeping  silver  fir,  and  weeping  Norway  spruce, 
however,  are  pendulous  to  such  a degree  that  they  make  but  slow 
additions  to  their  breadth.  If  their  central  stems  or  leaders  are 
kept  vertical  by  tying  to  a stake  or  straight  twig  bound  to  the  stem 
below,  and  the  side  branches  trimmed  back  whenever  they  show  a 
tendency  to  the  normal  form,  the  appearance  shown  in  the  cut  may 
be  preserved  for  many  years.  Where  these  varieties  of  the  fir  are 
not  to  be  had,  the  Irish  juniper,  or  the  hemlock,  may  be  substituted. 
The  former  of  those  trees  is  almost  monumental  in  its  slender 
formality,  but  is  pleasing  in  color  and  delicate  foliage.  The  latter, 
if  trimmed  back  every  spring  in  April  or  May,  but  not  afterwards 
during  that  season,  will  exhibit  during  the  rest  of  the  year  the  most 
airy  outline  of  pendulous  spray.  The  trimming  in  the  spring  must 
not  be  done  so  as  to  leave  a solidly  conical  hedge-like  form,  but 
with  some  irregularity,  imitating  within  slender  limits  the  freedom 
of  outline  natural  to  the  hemlock ; — the  idea  being  to  produce  by 
artificial  means  the  appearance  of  one  of  nature’s  abnormal  varieties 
or  sports,  which  will  bear  the  same  relation  to  the  common  form 
of  the  hemlock  that  the  pendulous  fir  in  the  cut  bears  to  its  family. 

The  last  cut  of  this  chapter,  already  alluded  to,  is  a form  of 


Fig.  5a. 


AND  THEIR  SETTINGS. 


259 


basket-vase  now  little  used,  which  we  recommend  as  an  appro- 
priate embellishment  for  a lawn,  when  filled  with  suitable  plants. 
Such  basket  forms  may  be  made  either  of  rustic  woodwork,  of 
terra-cotta,  or  of  iron,  and  need  have  no  bottom ; or  at  least  only 
rims  around*  the  bottoms  on  the  inside  sufficient  to  prevent  them 
from  settling  into  the  ground  unevenly.  When  filled  with  earth 
they  form  simply  raised  beds  to  be  planted  with  such  things  as  the 
taste  of  the  owner  may  choose.  The  basket  form  simply  gives  an 
artistic  relief  to  the  bed,  and  at  the  same  time  is  so  low  that  it  does 
not  obtrusively  break  the  views  over  a small  lawn,  like  those  tall 
vases  of  a garish  complexion  which  are  often  seen  in  lonely  isola- 
tion, thrust  forward  “ to  show.”  All  vases  of  classic  forms  need  to 
be  supported  by  architectural  constructions  of  some  kind,  near  by, 
which  harmonize  with  them  in  style ; or  else  to  be  so  embowered 
with  the  foliage  of  the  plants  they  bear,  and  by  which  they  are  sur- 
rounded, in  the  summer  months  at  least,  that  they  will  gleam 
through  leaves  and  flowers  like  the  face  of  a beautiful  woman  seen 
through  a veil.  The  variety  of  forms  and  sizes  for  basket-beds  is 
illimitable  ; they  may  be  suited  to  almost  any  spot  where  a flower- 
bed is  desirable,  and  can  be  made  cheaply,  or  with  costly  art,  as 
the  surroundings  may  suggest.  We  venture,  however,  to  warn  their 
makers  not  to  put  arch-handles  over  them.  A basket  form  is  chosen 
because  it  is  pretty  and  convenient,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  the 
bed  of  flowers  should  make  any  pretence  to  be  in  fact  a real  basket 
of  flowers.  The  transparency  of  the  deception  makes  it  ridiculous. 

Rustic  vases  made  of  crooked  joints  and  roots  of  trees,  and 
twigs  with  or  without  their  bark,  have  become  quite  common, 
and  are  often  made  so  strongly  and  skilfully  as  to  be  pleasing 
works  of  art.  Strength,  durability,  and  firmness  on  their  bases 
are  the  essential  qualities  which  they  must  have.  Any  construc- 
tions of  this  kind  which  suggest  flimsy  wood,  or  bungling  carpen- 
try, or  rotting  bark,  or  want  of  firmness  at  the  base,  though  they 
may  be  planted  to  give  a pretty  effect  at  first,  soon  become  rickety 
nuisances.  But  those  which  are  “ strongly  built,  and  well,” 
are  certainly  more  likely  to  have  a pleasing  effect  on  common 
grounds  than  little  plaster,  iron,  or  stone  vases,  and  cannot  so 
easily  be  used  amiss.  All  rustic  constructions  of  this  kind  will  last 


260  FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTS , 


much  longer,  and  look  cleaner,  if  the  wood  is  obtained  when  the 
bark  will  peel  readily,  and  made  up  with  no  bark  upon  it.  The 
first  effect  is  certainly  less  rustic,  but  sufficiently  so  to  harmonize 
with  the  surroundings  of  a suburban  home  ; and  after  a few  years 
the  advantages  of  the  barkless  constructions  are  very  evident. 

There  is  a frequent  fault  in  the  use  of  vases,  whether  rustic  or  clas- 
sic, that  mars  all  their  beauty  wherever  they  are  placed.  We  refer  to 
the  want  of  care  in  keeping  their  tops  level,  and  their  centres  vertical. 
A house  “ out  of  plum  ” is  not  more  unsightly  than  a vase  awry. 

The  plants  used  with  good  effect  in  rustic  vases  are  those  which 
have  large  and  showy  or  curiously  marked  leaves,  for  the  centres, 
surrounded  by  delicate-leaved  drooping  or  trailing  plants.  The  gor- 
geous crimson-leaved  Colleus  verschafelti  is  a deserved  favorite  for 
vases  of  good  size,  being  a rank  grower  and  developing  its  greatest 
beauty  in  exposures  open  on  all  sides  to  the  sun.  The  following 
are  some  of  the  plants  recommended  by  Henderson,  in  his  book  of 
Practical  Floriculture,  for  the  central  portions  of  small  baskets,  and 
will  answer  also  for  small  vases : “ The  Ce?itaurea  Candida , a plant 
of  white,  downy  leaves,  of  compact  growth;  Tom  Thumb  geranium, 
scarlet,  dwarf,  and  compact,  blooming  all  summer;  Sedum  sie- 
boldii , a plant  of  light  glaucus  foliage  and  graceful  habit ; ” and 
for  large  baskets  the  following : “ Mrs.  Pollock  geranium,  foliage 
crimson,  yellow  and  green,  flowers  bright  scarlet ; Centaurea 
gymnocarpa,  foliage  fern-like,  whitish  gray,  of  a peculiar  graceful 
habit;  Sedum  sieboldii  variegatum,  glaucus  green,  marbled  with 
golden  yellow ; Achyranthes  gilsonii , a beautiful  shade  of  carmine 
foliage  and  stem ; Alyssum  dentatum  variegatum,  foliage  green  and 
white,  with  fragrant  flowers  of  pure  white  ; Altemanthera  spathula , 
lanceolate  leaves  of  pink  and  crimson ; pyrethrum  or  golden 
feather,  fern-like  foliage,  golden  yellow.”  For  plants  to  put  around 
the  edge  of  a small  basket  or  vase,  and  to  fall  pendant  from  its 
sides,  he  recommends  the  following : “ Lobelia  erinus  paxtoni, 

an  exquisite  blue,  drooping  eighteen  inches ; Tropceolum  (ball 
of  fire),  dazzling  scarlet,  drooping  eighteen  inches  ; Lysimachia 
numularia , flowers  bright  yellow,  drooping  eighteen  inches ; Linaria 
cymbalaria , inconspicuous  flowers  but  graceful  foliage.”  For  the 
edging  or  pendant  plants  of  a large  basket  he  recommends  the 


AND  THEIR  SETTINGS . 


261 


following,  which  are  also  suitable  for  the  edging  of  a vase : “ Mau- 
raiidia  bar  clay  ana,  white  or  purple  flowers ; Vinca  elegantissima 
aurea,  foliage  deep  green,  netted  with  golden  yellow,  flowers  deep 
blue ; Cerastium  tomentosum , foliage  downy  white,  flowers  white ; 
Convolvulus  mauritanicus , flowers  light  blue,  profuse ; Solanum 
jasminoides  variegatum , foliage  variegated,  flowers  white  with  yel- 
low anthers  : Geranium  peltatum  elegans,  a variety  of  the  ivy- 
leaved, with  rich  glossy  foliage  and  mauve-colored  flowers : Pani- 
cum  variegatum,  a procumbent  grass  from  New  Caledonia,  of 
graceful  habit  of  growth,  with  beautiful  variegated  foliage,  striped 
white,  carmine,  and  green.”  These  are  mostly  half-hardy  con- 
servatory plants,  and  if  the  proprietor  has  no  conservatory  they 
must  be  purchased,  when  wanted,  of  the  florists,  or  they  may  be 
started  by  a skillful  lady-florist  in  her  own  window.  Nearly  every 
lady  of  refined  taste  longs  to  have  a conservatory  of  her  own.  But 
a building,  or  even  an  entire  room,  built  for,  and  devoted  to  plants 
alone,  is  an  expensive  luxury.  Those  who  have  well-built  houses 
heated  by  steam,  or  other  good  furnaces,  may  easily  have  a plant- 
window  in  a sunny  exposure  in  which  the  plants  required  to  bed 
in  open  ground  the  following  summer  may  be  reared ; and  beautiful 
well-grown  plants  may  be  obtained  from  the  commercial  florists  to 
keep  the  window  gay  with  blossoms  and  foliage  at  a price  greatly 
below  the  cost  for  which  amateurs  can  raise  them  in  their  own  con- 
servatories. These  remarks  are  not  designed  to  discourage  the 
building  of  private  conservatories  by  those  who  can  afford  them — far 
from  it — but  rather  to  suggest  to  those  who  cannot  afford  them,  not 
to  be  envious  of  those  who  can. 

Roses. — We  have  not  previously  mentioned  the  Rose,  among 
flowers  and  bedding  plants,  for  the  reason  that,  being  the  queen 
of  flowers,  more  than  ordinary  attention  is  usually  considered  due 
to  her.  Besides,  her  royal  family  are  so  numerous,  so  varied  and 
interesting  in  their  characters,  and  have  been  the  subject  of  so 
many  compliments  from  poets,  and  biographical  notices  from  pens 
of  distinguished  horticulturists,  that  it  would  be  presumption 
to  attempt  to  describe,  in  a few  brief  paragraphs,  the  peculiar 
beauties  and  characteristics  of  the  family;  still  less  of  all  its 
thousand  members.  The  mere  fact  of  royalty,  however,  has  at- 


262 


FLOWERS  AND  BEDDING  PLANTS 


tracted  such  numbers  of  admirers  and  chroniclers  of  their  beauty, 
that,  in  failing  to  do  justice  to  them  by  any  observations  of  our 
own,  there  is  a satisfaction  in  knowing  that  scores  of  their  devoted 
admirers  have  written  lovingly  and  sensibly  of  them ; and  from 
their  pages,  we  may  glean  and  present  such  general  information 
concerning  the  relative  rank,  characters,  and  habits  of  the  various 
roses  as  comes  within  the  scope  of  a work  on  the  arts  of  arrange- 
ment, rather  than  a floral  manual  of  classification  or  culture. 

In  all  the  languages  of  civilized  nations  volumes  have  been 
written  on  the  history,  the  poetical  and  legendary  associations,  the 
classification,  and  the  culture  of  the  rose ; so  that,  whoever  desires 
to  be  especially  well  informed  on  any  branch  of  knowledge  per- 
taining to  roses  will  seek  among  the  books  in  his  own  language 
for  the  special  and  full  information  he  desires.  As  roses  come 
properly  under  the  head  of  shrubs,  we  shall,  under  that  head, 
give  so  much  on  the  subject  as  may  be  necessary  in  connec- 
tion with  the  embellishment  of  suburban  places,  together  with  a 
plate  of  designs  for  rose-beds,  of  a great  variety  of  sizes  and  forms, 
with  various  selections  of  roses  that  may  be  used  to  advantage  in 
filling  them.  We  will  only  add  here  what  has  before  been  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  subject  of  arrangement,  that  the 
planting  of  rose-bushes,  as  isolated  small  shrubs  on  a lawn,  is  al- 
most always  a misplacement.  There  are  a few  sorts,  especially 
some  of  the  wild  bush-roses,  which  form  fine  compact  bushes, 
sufficiently  well  foliaged  to  be  pleasing  all  the  summer  months 
when  not  in  bloom  ; but  the  greater  part  of  the  finest  roses,  par- 
ticularly the  perpetuals  which  make  a straggling  and  unequal 
growth,  produce  a far  finer  effect  when  planted  pretty  snugly  in 
masses.  A practice  of  planting  each  root  of  a sort  by  itself,  like 
so  many  hills  of  potatoes,  is  quite  necessary  in  commercial 
gardens  where  they  are  grown  for  sale,  and  each  of  a hundred 
varieties  must  be  kept  distinct  from  every  other,  so  that  it  may  be 
distinguished  readily,  and  removed  for  sale  without  injury  to  the 
others ; but  this  is  market-gardening,  not  decorative,  and  the  least 
interesting  of  all  modes  of  cultivating  the  rose.  Decidedly,  the 
prettier  way  in  small  collections  is  to  learn  first  what  is  the  com- 
parative strength  of  growth  and  height  of  the  several  plants  which 


AND  THEIR  SETTINGS . 


263 


are  to  make  up  one’s  collection,  and  then  to  distribute  the  smaller 
sorts  around  the  larger,  so  that  all  may  be  seen  to  advantage,  and 
made  to  appear  like  a single  bush,  or  symmetric  group.  As  it  is 
desirable  to  know  each  sort  when  out  of  flower  and  leaf,  labels, 
fastened  with  copper  wire,  can  remain  attached  to  the  stems  near 
the  base  as  well  when  in  groups  as  when  separate. 

It  must  not  be  understood  that  we  favor  great  formality  of  out- 
lines in  a group,  or  what  is  called  a lumpish  mass,  but  only  that 
the  general  outline  of  bush  or  group  shall  be  symmetrical,  and  that 
it  shall  contain  a sufficient  mass  of  foliage  in  itself  to  allow  the 
straggling  spray,  which  gives  spirit  to  its  outline,  to  be  relieved 
against  a good  body  of  foliage.  However  formally  a rose-bed  is 
laid  out,  the  free  rambling  growth  of  the  plants  will  always  give  a 
sprightly  irregularity  of  outline  sufficient  to  relieve  it  from  all  ap- 
pearance of  primness.  It  is  as  unnatural  to  force  the  rose  into 
formal  outlines  as  to  suppress  the  frolicksomeness  of  children  ; but 
in  both  cases  the  freedom  natural  to  each  may  be  directed,  and 
made  to  conform,  to  the  proprieties  of  place  and  occasion.  Allu- 
sion has  previously  been  made  to  the  bad  taste  of  conspicuous 
pieces  of  white-painted  carpentry  very  generally  used  as  supports 
for  running  roses.  The  simpler  and  more  inconspicuous  such 
supports  are  made,  provided  they  are  substantial,  the  better. 


CHAPTER  XVI  II. 


THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  DEEP  DRAINAGE  AND  CULTIVATION  IN  THEIR 
RELATION  TO  THE  GROWTH  OF  TREES,  AND  THE  SUCCESSFUL  CUL- 
TURE OF  THOSE  WHICH  ARE  HALF-HARDY ; TOGETHER  WITH  SUGGES- 
TIONS FOR  PROTECTING  YOUNG  TREES  IN  WINTER  AND  SUMMER. 

A LARGE  portion  of  the  gross  weight  of  all  soils  is  water. 

If  we  dry  any  soil  perfectly,  the  residuum  of  weight  will 
bear  a very  small  proportion  to  the  average  weight  of 
the  soil  in  its  natural  condition.  Water,  therefore,  occu- 
pies a large  part  of  the  texture  of  what  we  call  solid  earth.  When 
we  draw  the  water  from  any  soil  by  drains,  the  space  occupied  by 
the  water  in  the  earth  is  supplied  by  air.  Thorough  draining, 
therefore,  airs  the  soil  to  whatever  depth  it  drains  off  the  water. 
The  air  transmits  heat  and  cold  less  rapidly  than  water  by  direct 
conduction,  so  that,  if  air  occupies  the  place  of  water  in  the  inter- 
stices of  the  soil,  the  latter  will  feel  all  changes  of  temperature 
more  slowly.  Deep  drainage,  therefore,  tends  to  equalize  the  tem- 
perature of  the  earth’s  surface,  and  to  neutralize  the  effect  of  great 
and  sudden  changes  in  the  air  above.  It  is  impossible  to  drain  a 
subsoil  too  thoroughly  from  beneath,  because  the  capillary  attrac- 
tion of  the  earth  is  always  sufficient  to  draw  up  from  below  all  the 
moisture  that  is  essential  to  most  forms  of  vegetable  life ; and  in 
addition  to  the  moisture  thus  drawn  from  below,  the  earth,  when 
the  air  can  circulate  freely  in  it,  has  the  power  when  dry  to  absorb 
a vast  amount  of  moisture  from  the  air,  as  well  as  to  yield  it  up  to 
the  air  by  evaporation  when  it  holds  an  excess.  To  all  general 
observations  like  these,  the  reader’s  intelligence  will  of  course 
suggest  exceptions  ; as  of  trees  and  plants  which  thrive  best  where 
their  roots  are  immersed  in  wafer,  and  which  make  water  their 
element  rather  than  earth ; but  the  fact  holds  good  as  to  the  great 


PHILOSOPHY  OF  DEEP  DRAINAGE.  265 


mass  of  beautiful  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants — that  they  will  thrive 
best,  and  bear  the  winter’s  cold  and  the  summer’s  heat  and  drought 
with  least  injury,  in  the  most  deeply  drained  soils.  If  this  is  true 
as  a general  rule,  it  is  plain  that  for  trees  which  are  peculiarly 
sensitive  to  either  extreme,  there  is  greater  need  of  deep  drainage 
than  for  any  other. 

The  airing  of  the  soil,  which  deep  draining  secures,  acts  in  two 
ways  for  the  benefit  of  all  vegetation : first,  by  equalizing  the  tem- 
perature of  the  soil  in  consequence  of  the  non-conducting  power  of 
air ; secondly,  by  exposing  the  deeper  soil  to  the  contact  of  air,  it 
becomes  changed  in  character,  and  undergoes  a constant  process  of 
fertilization  by  the  action  of  air  upon  it.  It  is  being  oxygenized. 
Any  one  familiar  with  farming  operations  in  new  countries,  knows 
that  when  virgin  soils  are  first  turned  over,  there  are,  usually,  only 
a few  inches  of  dark  soil  on  the  surface.  If  the  plow  turns  a 
furrow  five  or  six  inches  deep,  it  will  generally  show  a much  lighter 
color  than  the  surface  which  is  turned  under ; but  in  a few  years  of 
continued  culture  this  lighter-colored  soil  becomes  as  dark  as  the 
original  surface.  By  the  combined  action  of  the  sun  and  air  it  has 
all  become  equally  oxygenized.  If  such  ground  were  repeatedly 
plowed  without  growing  a crop  from  it,  and  so  as  to  permit  no 
growth  of  vegetation  to  be  turned  under,  it  would  still,  for  a time, 
gain  rapidly  in  fertility,  by  the  mere  chemical  changes  produced  by 
the  sun  and  air.  What  plowing  effects  quickly  by  the  direct  ex- 
posure of  the  upper  soil  to  these  elements,  deep  draining  and  the 
consequent  airing  of  the  soil  effects  slowly,  and  less  thoroughly,  in 
subsoils  through  which  the  air  is  induced  to  permeate.  Imper- 
ceptibly, but  surely,  the  earth  beneath  our  feet  is  being  warmed  and 
fertilized  by  the  action  of  the  air  upon  it,  whenever  we  invite  the  air  in, 
by  drawing  the  water  out.  This  increased  warmth  and  richness  of 
the  subsoil  invites  the  roots  of  trees  deeper  and  deeper  in  pro- 
portion as  it  approximates  in  character  to  the  warmth  and  oxygena- 
tion of  the  surface-soil.  To  have  a deeply  aired  soil,  therefore,  is 
to  encourage  trees  to  root  farther  down,  and  away  from  the  trying 
changes  of  winter  and  spring  temperature  that  weaken  or  kill  semi- 
tropical  trees  and  shrubs,  and  often  impair  the  vitality  of  young 
trees  of  hardy  species. 


266 


EARTH  HEAT. 


Next  in  importance  to  deep  drainage,  therefore,  is  deep  tillage. 
It  supplements  drainage  by  often  repeated  exposure  of  a certain 
depth  of  soil  to  the  action  of  the  air  and  sun,  by  which  its  oxygena- 
tion is  carried  on  more  rapidly  than  it  can  possibly  be  when  not  so 
exposed. 

Earth  Heat. — The  earth  grows  warmer  as  we  go  down.  If  its 
temperature  were  tested  in  winter,  we  should  find  an  increasing 
warmth  with  each  foot  of  depth  below  the  frost.  The  more  porous 
and  dry  the  soil,  the  less  depth  it  will  freeze,  and  the  more  rapid 
the  increase  of  temperature  below  the  frost  line.  This  explains  why 
gravelly  subsoils  make  warm  soils,  and  suggests  that  deep  drain- 
age is  the  most  efficient  means  of  providing  for  trees  an  equable 
“bottom  heat.” 

In  the  northern  States  the  range  of  earth-freezing  is  from  one 
to  three  feet  deep.  It  is  not  always  deepest  where  the  cold  is 
greatest ; for  where  a considerable  altitude  makes  the  winters  more 
severe,  the  greater  snow-falls  are  likely  to  husband  the  earth’s 
warmth  as  with  a feathery  blanket,  so  that  the  soil  may  be  frozen 
no  deeper  at  Utica  than  at  Philadelphia.  But  when  the  surface 
protection  is  the  same,  altitude  and  latitude  tell  quickly  on  the 
climate  in  its  effect  on  trees. 

Roots  at  the  surface  of  the  ground  are  either  torpid  in  their  icy 
encasement,  or  alternately  thawed-out  or  frozen-in  during  four  or 
five  months.  Those  a foot  below  the  surface  are  ice-bound  not 
much  more  than  half  this  time ; those  two  feet  below,  a third ; and 
those  three  feet  below,  not  at  all.  All  the  roots  which  are  just 
under  the  frost-line  during  any  part  of  the  winter,  are  in  no  colder 
soil  than  the  winter  surface-soil  of  the  Gulf  States.  Whether  six 
inches  or  three  feet  under  the  surface,  where  the  ground  #is  not 
frozen,  the  roots  maintain  some  action. 

The  younger  and  smaller  a .tree  or  shrub,  the  nearer  its  roots 
are  to  the  surface,  and  all  its  fluctuations  and  severities  of  tem- 
perature ; and  therefore  the  greater  need  of  guarding  against  them. 
The  analogy  between  animals  and  plants  is  greater  than  most  per- 
sons suppose.  “ Keep  your  feet  warm  and  dry,  and  you  will  not 
be  likely  to  take  cold,”  is  a trite  piece  of  advice,  because  it  is  so 


ROOTS  AS  CONDUCTORS  OF  HEAT.  267 


true  and  so  useful.  Now  if  we  can  keep  the  plants’  feet  warm  and 
dry,  or  at  least  save  them  from  the  greatest  extremes  of  cold  and 
wet,  we  do  them  the  same  kindness  that  we  do  the  children  by 
wrapping  their  feet  in  wool  and  leather  protections. 

The  roots  of  trees  and  shrubs  during  the  first  five  years  of  their 
growth  are  mostly  in  that  part  of  the  soil  which  is  frozen  in  the 
northern  States  from  one  to  three  feet  deep  every  winter.  Some 
rapid-growing  trees,  as  the  yellow  locust  and  the  silver  poplar, 
send  down  their  roots  to  a great  depth  very  soon  after  planting. 
We  have  seen  roots  of  the  locust  that  had  penetrated  a marly  clay 
and  were  as  large  as  pipe-stems  at  a depth  of  six  feet  below  the 
surface,  from  trees  only  three  years  planted.  This  power  of  quick 
and  deep  rooting  in  the  subsoil  is  probably  the  reason  why  the 
locust  tree,  with  its  tropical  luxuriance  and  extreme  delicacy  of 
foliage,  is  able  to  endure  a degree  of  cold  that  many  less  succulent 
and  hardier  looking  trees  cannot  bear. 

Deep  Roots  as  Conductors  of  Heat  to  the  Tops  of 
Trees. — The  deep  roots  have  an  influence  in  maintaining  an 
equilibrium  of  temperature  in  the  tree  that  is  little  understood. 
They  are  direct  conductors  from  the  even  warmth  of  the  unfrozen 
subsoil,  to  the  trunk  and  branches  which  are  battling  with  frigid 
air,  and  winds  that  strive  to  rob  them  of  their  vital  heat.  All 
winter  long  this  current  of  heat  is  conducted  by  the  deep  roots  to 
the  exposed  top.  The  greater  the  cold,  the  greater  the  call  on 
these  roots  to  maintain  the  equilibrium ; and  consequently  their 
usefulness  in  this  respect  is  in  proportion  to  the  extremes  of  tem- 
perature above  ground  which  the  tree  may  be  required  to  resist, 
and  the  proportion  of  roots  which  are  below  the  frost-line.  Surface 
roots  are  the  summer-feeding  roots — multiplying  their  myriads  of 
fibres,  each  one  a greedy  mouth,  when  spring  opens  and  the  leaves 
need  them ; — and  there  is  always  a perfect  proportion  between  their 
abundance  and  vigor,  and  the  luxuriance  of  the  foliage  above  them. 
Surface  manuring  promotes  a rank  growth  of  these  roots,  and  of 
the  foliage ; and  should  only  be  used  for  young  trees  and  shrubs 
which  are  unquestionably  hardy,  or  for  the  less  hardy  which  are 
already  deeply  rooted ; but  not  for  young  trees  of  doubtful  hardi- 


2G8  EFFECT  ON  SEMI-TROPICAL  TREES. 

ness.  These  must  first  be  provided  with  the  bottom  heat  that 
deep  drainage  and  a well-aired  subsoil  provides,  until  they  are 
deeply  rooted. 

As  newly  planted  trees  have  not  the  means  of  keeping  them- 
selves warm  in  winter  by  means  of  their  deep  roots,  it  follows  that 
they  must  be  nursed  in  some  way  so  that  they  will  maintain  a 
vigorous  life  until  they  are  thus  provided. 

Trees  or  shrubs  of  half- tropical  habit,  by  which  we  mean  those 
that  flourish  in  our  southern  States  without  protection,  and  which 
may  be  so  carefully  managed  as  to  develop  their  beauties  healthily 
in  the  northern  States,  of  course  need  this  careful  nursing  more 
than  any  other ; and  not  only  to  guard  them  against  winter’s  ex- 
cesses, but  to  give  them  the  most  equable  ground  temperature  at 
all  seasons.  Most  trees  in  their  native  localities  grow  in  deep 
shades,  and  the  soil  over  their  roots  is  rarely  heated  by  the  direct 
rays  of  the  sun,  however  powerful  its  heat  upon  their  tops.  The 
very  luxuriance  of  vegetation  forms  a bower  of  shade  for  the 
soil ; so  that  in  forests  the  roots  of  trees  are  in  a soil  that  is  com- 
paratively equable  in  temperature  and  moisture.  When  trees  from 
such  localities  are  grown  on  open  lawns,  they  are  naturally  dis- 
posed to  branch  low,  in  order  to  cover  their  roots  from  the  heat  of 
the  summer  sun  by  the  shade  of  their  own  boughs.  The  mag- 
nolias and  rhododendrons  are  marked  examples  of  trees  and 
shrubs  which  are  cultivated  most  successfully  in  deeply  drained 
soils,  but  at  the  same  time  are  ill-at-ease  in  ground  where  the  soil 
over  their  roots  is  bared  to  the  scorching  summer  heat.  In  the 
case  of  evergreen  trees,  their  low-branching  keeps  the  ground  under 
them  cool  and  shady  in  summer,  and  also  protects  the  roots  in 
winter — acting  as  a blanket  to  hold  the  radiation  of  the  earth’s 
heat,  and  to  hold  the  snow  which  makes  another  blanket  for  the 
same  purpose.  A well-cut  lawn  is  some  protection  to  the  roots  of 
trees,  but  it  interferes  with  that  active  oxygenation  of  the  soil  which 
deep  culture  produces ; and  while  it  acts  as  a shield  against  the 
scorching  effect  of  the  summer  sun  on  bare  earth,  and  as  a mulch  to 
counteract,  in  a slight  degree,  the  rapid  changes  of  temperature  on 
the  surface-roots,  it  at  the  same  time  reduces  the  vitality  and  power 
of  resistance  to  cold  in  the  tree,  by  preventing  the  deep  soil  from 


RESULTS  OF  CULTIVATION . 


269 


becoming  well  aired  and  oxygenized,  as  it  is  under  high  culture. 
Under  the  sod  of  a lawn,  therefore,  the  roots  of  trees  will  be 
nearer  the  surface  than  in  ground  under  cultivation,  and  will  have 
less  power  to  resist  cold,  so  far  as  deep  roots  enable  them  to  re- 
sist it. 

If  a tree  is  planted  in  a thoroughly  drained  soil  which  is  to  be 
cultivated,  instead  of  one  which  is  to  be  covered  with  lawn,  it  may 
be  set  several  inches  deeper,  so  that  the  main  roots  need  not  be 
injured  by  the  spade,  while  they  will  be  kept  in  warm  soil  by  the 
occasional  turning  under  of  the  surface  which  has  been  under  the 
direct  action  of  the  sun’s  rays.  The  roots  at  the  depth  of  ten 
inches,  in  a soil  which  is  spaded  annually,  and  well  cultivated,  will 
be  as  well  aired,  and  have  as  warm  feeding  ground,  as  in  a similar 
soil  two  inches  below  an  old  sod.  This  cultivation,  therefore,  gains 
for  the  tree  a summer  and  winter  mulching  of  eight  inches  in  depth 
above  its  rootlets ; a great  gain  in  winter,  and  equal  to  several 
degrees  of  more  southern  latitude. 

Half-hardy  trees  should  therefore  not  only  be  planted  in  ground 
drained  most  deeply  and  thoroughly,  but  also  where  the  ground 
may  be  deeply  cultivated  until  they  are  rooted  in  a warm  subsoil 
below  the  action  of  frosts — say  ten  years.  Trees  which  even- 
tually grow  to  considerable  size  may,  when  young,  be  centres  or 
parts  of  groups  of  shrubs  that  also  require  high  culture  ; and  when 
the  tree  begins  to  over-top  the  shrubs,  the  latter  should  be  gradu- 
ally removed.  But  it  must  be  constantly  borne  in  mind  that  all 
trees,  and  especially  those  of  doubtful  hardiness,  need  a full  de- 
velopment of  low  side-branches  when  young,  and  no  shrubbery 
should  remain  near  enough  to  them  to  check  this  side-growth. 
When  all  the  excess  of  shrubbery  around  the  tree  is  removed,  and 
the  latter  is  supposed  to  have  become  sufficiently  established  to  be 
able  to  dispense  with  deep  culture,  and  have  the  ground  under  its 
branches  converted  into  lawn,  then  two  or  three  inches  in  depth 
of  fresh  soil  should  be  added  all  around  the  tree,  as  far  as  the 
roots  extend ; and  for  half-hardy  trees,  an  autumn  mulching  with 
leaves  or  evergreen  boughs  should  never  be  omitted  at  any  age 
of  the  tree.  The  subject  of  mulching  will  be  treated  again  in  this 
chapter. 


270 


PROTECTION  FROM  WINDS. 


Protection  from  Winds. — The  effect  of  protection  from  the 
winds  is  nearly  the  same  for  delicate  trees  as  for  delicate  human 
beings.  “ Keep  out  of  a strong  draught  of  air  ” is  a common 
admonition  given  to  those  who  are  healthy,  as  well  as  to  invalids ; 
and  this,  too,  when  only  the  pleasant  breath  of  summer  is  to  be 
guarded  against.  Now  when  we  reflect  that  trees  have  not  the 
power  of  warming  themselves  by  exercise,  but  must  stand  with  suf- 
fering patience  the  coldest  blasts  of  winter,  with  no  more  covering 
on  body  and  limbs  than  sufficed  them  in  genial  summer  air,  how 
thoughtless  and  heartless  of  us  to  expect  any  of  them,  least  of  all 
the  denizens  of  semi-tropical  forests,  to  laugh  with  blossoms,  and 
grow  fat  with  leaves,  after  being  exposed  to  all  the  rigors  of  a 
northern  winter.  Ought  we  not  to  be  most  thankful  that  even  the 
hardened  species  of  northern  zones  can  bear  the  vicissitudes  of  our 
climate  ? And  if  semi-tropical  trees  can  also  be  made  to  thrive  by 
kindly  protection,  should  we  grudge  them  the  care  which  their  deli- 
cacy demands? 

Much  as  our  horticultural  writers  have  endeavored  to  impress 
the  importance  of  protection  from  winds,  by  means  of  walls  of 
hardy  evergreen  trees,  few  persons  have  had  the  opportunity  of 
observing  how  great  the  benefits  of  such  protection.  Houses,  out- 
buildings, and  high  fences  may  generally  be  so  connected  by  such 
hedges  and  screens  as  to  form  warm  bays  and  sheltered  nooks 
where  many  trees  and  shrubs  of  novel  beauty  may  be  grown,  which, 
in  exposed  situations,  would  either  die  outright  or  eke  out  a dis- 
eased and  stunted  existence.  This  remark  applies  with  most  force 
to  the  smaller  trees  and  shrubs  for  which  constructive  protections 
against  winds  may  be  erected  with  no  great  expense ; or  verdant 
walls  may  be  grown  within  a few  years.  Yet  larger  trees  like  the 
Magnolia  machrophylla  and  the  Bhotan  pine  (P.  excelsa)  may  be  so 
protected  in  their  early  growth  that  the  health  and  vigor  acquired 
during  the  first  ten  years  of  careful  attention  to  their  needs  will 
enable  them  to  resist  vicissitudes  of  climate  which  trees  of  the  same 
species,  less  judiciously  reared,  would  die  under.  Vigor  of  con- 
stitution in  animals  is  not  alone  a matter  of  race  and  family,  but 
also  to  a considerable  degree  the  result  of  education  and  training. 
Delicate  youths  who  nurse  their  strength,  and  battle  with  their  own 


PROTECTION  FROM  WINDS. 


271 


weakness  by  obeying  the  laws  of  health  that  intelligence  teaches 
them,  often  become  stronger  at  middle  age  than  those  of  robust 
organization  who  early  waste  their  vigor  by  careless  disregard  of 
those  laws.  By  studying  the  nature  of  trees  we  may  effect  similar 
results  with  similar  care. 

Winter  protection  from  winds  must  be  effected  principally  by 
hardy  evergreens.  Of  these  the  Norway  spruce  is  one  of  the  most 
rapid  in  its  growth.  In  itself  a beautiful  object,  it  may  be  massed 
in  pleasing  groups,  or  compact  belts,  or  close  cut  colossal  hedges. 
The  white  pine  in  sandy  soils  has  a still  more  rapid  growth,  and 
is,  therefore,  suited  to  form  the  highest  screens.  The  American 
and  the  Siberian  arbor-vitaes  are  naturally  so  hedge-like  in  form 
that  the  sight  of  them  at  once  suggests  their  usefulness ; while  the 
rambling  and  graceful  young  hemlock  is  readily  trained  into  ver- 
dant screens  of  exquisite  beauty. 

The  relative  growth  of  these  trees  is  about  in  the  following 
order : The  white  pine  planted  from  the  nursery  should  attain  the 

height  of  twenty  feet  in  ten  years,  and  forty  feet  in  twenty  years. 
The  Norway  spruce  grows  with  about  the  same  rapidity,  but  its 
growth  being  relatively  less  in  breadth  at  the  top,  its  summit  gives 
less  check  to  winds.  The  hemlock  may  attain  about  two-thirds  the 
size  of  the  pine  in  the  same  time  ; while  the  arbor-vitaes  just  named 
may  be  relied  on  to  make  about  a foot  of  growth  per  year.  These 
facts  suggest  to  intelligent  planters  the  service  these  trees  may  be 
made  to  render  in  the  capacity  of  protectors  of  the  weaker  species 
of  trees  and  shrubs. 

The  warming  power  of  evergreen  trees  in  winter  is  not  fully 
appreciated.  They  are  like  living  beings,  breathing  all  the  time, 
and  keep  up,  and  give  off  their  vital  heat  in  the  same  manner.  In 
a dense  forest  the  cold  is  never  so  intense  as  on  an  adjoining 
prairie ; and  the  difference  between  the  temperature  of  even  a small 
grove  of  evergreens,  and  open  ground  near  by,  is  often  great 
enough  to  decide  the  life. or  death  of  sensitive  shrubs  and  trees. 
In  our  chapter  on  the  Characteristics  of  Trees  will  be  found  some 
interesting  facts  concerning  this  quality  of  trees  and  plants. 

Deep  drainage,  deep  culture,  and  protection  from  winds  are  the 
three  great  means  to  give  trees  a healthy  and  rapid  development, 


272 


PROTECTION  BY  MULCHING. 


and  to  acclimatize  those  which  are  not  quite  hardy.  It  has  also 
been  suggested  that  certain  trees  and  shrubs  need  to  be  protected 
from  the  sun,  as  well  as  from  cold  and  wind.  This  fact  will  be 
noted  in  the  descriptions  of  them. 

We  now  come  to  the  special  treatment  of  newly  planted  trees, 
premising  that  the  general  conditions  just  given  have  been  com- 
plied with. 

Mulching.  — Mulch  signifies  any  substance  which  may  be 
strewn  upon  the  ground  to  retain  its  moisture  for  the  benefit  of 
the  roots  which  it  covers,  or  to  serve  as  a non-conductor  of  the 
coldness  or  the  heat  of  the  air,  and  to  retain  the  natural  warmth  of 
the  earth  beneath.  Mulching  may  be  done  in  a great  variety  of 
ways,  and  for  different  purposes.  Summer  mulching  is  intended 
to  protect  the  soil  from  too  rapid  drying  under  the  direct  rays  of 
the  sun.  Winter  mulching  is  designed  to  prevent  the  sudden  and 
excessive  freezing  of  the  earth. 

Leaves  are  the  natural  mulch  for  forest  trees.  At  the  approach 
of  winter,  observe  how  all  the  trees  disrobe  their  branches  to  drop 
a cover  of  leaves  upon  their  roots.  The  winds  blow  them  away 
from  the  great  trunks  which  are  deep  rooted  and  need  them  least, 
to  lodge  among  the  stems  and  roots  of  the  underbrush  which  need 
them  most.  Leaves  being  the  most  natural  cover  for  roots  are  the 
best.  But  they  cannot  be  used  to  advantage  in  summer  in  well- 
kept  grounds  because  of  the  difficulty  of  retaining  them  in  place, 
and  their  unsightly  effect  when  blown  about  on  a lawn.  In 
autumn,  however,  they  should  be  gathered,  when  most  abundant, 
for  a winter  mulch ; and  can  be  retained  in  place  by  heavy  twigs 
over  them.  The  twigs  and  leaves  together  catch  the  blowing  snow 
and  thus  make  a warm  snow  blanket  in  addition  to  their  own  pro- 
tection. For  summer  mulching,  saw-dust  (not  too  fresh)  and 
“ chip-dirt,”  are  good  and  tidy  protections.  Old  straw  is  excellent, 
but  is  unsightly  and  too  disorderly  when  blown  by  winds  to  be 
satisfactory  in  neatly  kept  places ; and  when  used  too  freely 
harbors  mice.  Tan-bark  is  a favorite  summer  mulch,  and  very 
good  if  not  put  on  too  thick.  Evergreen  leaves  and  twigs  are 
admirable  for  either  summer  or  winter  mulching,  but  especially  for 


PROTECTION  BY  BUNDLING.  273 

winter,  on  account  of  the  snow  that  accumulates  in  them.  Massed 
to  the  depth  of  a foot,  the  ground  beneath  them  will  hardly  feel  the 
frosts.  Trees  or  shrubs  which  are  hardy  enough  to  be  forced  into 
a rank  growth  without  making  their  new  wood  too  succulent  and 
tender  to  bear  the  following  winter,  may  be  mulched  with  short 
manure,  but  trees  of  doubtful  hardiness  must  not  be  thus  stimu- 
lated. If  used  at  all  it  should  be  in  autumn,  for  winter  service, 
and  raked  off  in  spring,  to  be  replaced  by  cooler  materials  during 
the  growing  season. 

In  addition  to  the  mulching  required  over  the  roots  of  young 
trees  and  shrubs  in  winter,  it  is  necessary  to  cover  the  trunk,  and 
sometimes  the  entire  tops  of  those  which  are  half-hardy  with  some 
protection.  The  stems  of  young  trees  may  be  covered  with  straw 
bound  around  them,  or  with  matting,  or  strong  brown  paper.  Small 
tree-tops  and  spreading  shrubs  may  be  carefully  drawn  together 
with  straw  cords,  and  bound  up  as  completely  in  straw  and  matting 
as  bundles  of  trees  sent  out  from  a nursery.  As  such  masses  are 
likely  to  catch  the  snow,  and  offer  considerable  resistance  to  the 
wind,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  in  all  cases  after  a subject  has  been 
thus  bound,  that  strong  stakes  be  driven  near  by,  and  the  bound-up 
branches  securely  fastened  to  them  until  the  binding  is  taken  off  in 
the  spring.  The  following  cuts,  illustrating  a mode  of  protecting 
peach  trees,  to  secure  their  fruit-buds  from  injury  in  winter,  also 
illustrates  the  mode  of  protecting  the  tops  for  other  purposes.  In 
the  case  of  the  peach  tree  a strong  cedar  post  is  supposed  to  be 


Fig.  53.  Fig.  54.  Fig.  55. 


deeply  set  for  a permanent  fixture  at  the  same  time  the  tree  is 
planted,  and  that  the  latter  grows  up  around  it  as  shown  by  Fig.  53. 
At  the  approach  of  winter  the  branches  which  can  be  most  con- 
veniently bound  together  are  prepared  like  nursery  bundles  as 
18 


274 


PROTECTION  BY  BUNDLING . 


shown  by  Fig.  54 ; and  when  done  are  secured  by  cords  to  the 
central  post  as  shown  by  Fig.  55.  In  addition  to  this  straw  bind- 
ing, earth  from  beyond  the  branches  is  banked  up  around  the  stem, 
as  shown  in  the  same  cuts.  This  mode  of  protection  is  especially 
adapted  to  the  fruit-yard..  It  would  not  be  admissible  to  have 
permanent  posts  or  stakes  in  the  embellished  parts  of  grounds ; 
but  a similar  mode  of  protection  can  be  employed  by  the  use  of 
strong  stakes  to  be  driven  when  wanted,  and  removed  in  the 
spring. 

Tender  vines,  and  pliable-wooded  bushes,  may  be  turned  down 
on  the  approach  of  winter,  and  laid  flat  upon  the  ground  or  lawn, 
where  there  is  room.  If  in  cultivated  ground,  there  is  no  better 
protection  than  a covering  of  several  inches  of  earth.  If  standing 
upon  a lawn  they  may  be  either  covered  with  earth  in  the  same 
way,  if  it  can  be  brought  from  a convenient  distance,  or  may  be 
pinned  down  and  covered  from  four  to  twelve  inches  deep  with 
evergreen  boughs  or  twigs. 

Very  tender  plants  must  of  course  be  covered  more  deeply  than 
hardier  ones,  and  the  cover  should  be  removed  gradually  in  the 
spring.  It  is  advisable  to  mark  the  exact  place  where  each  vine  or 
branch  is  laid,  so  that  in  uncovering,  in  the  spring,  it  may  not  be 
injured  by  the  spade. 


PART  II. 


Trees,  Shrubs,  and  Vines. 


CHAPTER  I. 


A COMPARISON  OF  THE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES. 

“ I care  not  how  men  trace  their  ancestry, 

To  Ape  or  Adam ; let  them  please  their  whim ; 

But  I in  June  am  midway  to  believe 
A Tree  among  my  far  progenitors ; 

Such  sympathy  is  mine  with  all  the  race, 

Such  mutual  recognition  vaguely  sweet 
There  is  between  us.  Surely  there  are  times 
When  they  consent  to  own  me  of  their  kin, 

And  condescend  to  me,  and  call  me  cousin, 

Murmuring  faint  lullabies  of  eldest  time 
Forgotten,  and  yet  dumbly  felt  with  thrills 
Moving  the  lips,  though  fruitless  of  the  words.” 

Lowell. 


WHEN  one  reflects  that  among  all  the  millions  of 
human  beings  that  have  existed  no  two  have  been 
alike,  and  that  all  their  illimitable  varieties  of  ex- 
pression are  produced  by  the  varied  combinations  of 
only  half  a dozen  features,  within  a space  of  six  inches  by  eight,  it 
ought  not  to  be  difficult  to  conceive  the  endless  diversity  of  char- 
acter that  may  be  exhibited  among  trees,  with  their  multitude  of 
features  and  forms,  their  oddities  of  bark,  limb,  and  twig,  their 
infinitude  of  leaves  and  blossoms  of  all  sizes,  forms,  and  shades  of 
color,  their  towering  sky  outlines,  and  their  ever-varying  lights  and 
shadows.  There  are  subtle  expressions  in  trees,  as  in  the  human 
face,  that  it  is  difficult  to  analyze  or  account  for.  A face,  no  one 
feature  of  which  is  pleasing,  often  charms  us  by  the  expression  of 
an  inward  spirit  which  lights  it.  May  we  not  claim  for  all  living 
nature,  as  our  great  poet  Bryant  suggests  in  the  following  lines,  a 


278 


A COMPARISON  OF  TEE 


degree  of  soul,  and  for  all  trees  that  are  loveable  at  sight  a 
sympathy  of  soul  with  the  observer  which  constitutes  their  pleas- 
ing expression  ? 


“ Nay,  doubt  we  not  that  under  the  rough  rind, 
In  the  green  veins  of  these  fair  growths  of  Earth, 
There  dwells  a nature  that  receives  delight 
From  all  the  gentle  processes  of  life, 

And  shrinks  from  loss  of  being.  Dim  and  faint 
May  be  the  sense  of  pleasure  and  of  pain. 

As  in  our  dreams;  but  haply,  real  still.” 


Sunny  cheerfulness,  gayety,  gloom,  sprightliness,  rudeness, 
sweetness,  gracefulness,  awkwardness,  ugliness,  and  eccentricities, 
are  all  attributes  of  trees  as  well  as  of  human  beings.  How  do  trees 
convey  these  impressions  without  suggesting  those  attributes  which 
we  call  soul?  Some  trees  look  sulky,  and  repel  sympathy — the 
black  oak  or  an  old  balsam  fir,  for  instance.  People  never  become 
greatly  attached  to  such  trees.  Others  are  warm,  and  sunny,  and 
deep  bosomed,  like  the  sugar  maple ; or  voluptuous  like  magnolias, 
or  wide-winged  like  the  oak  and  the  apple  tree — bending  down  to 
shade  and  cover,  as  mother-birds  their  nests ; — conveying  at  once 
a sense  of  domestic  protection.  These  are  the  trees  we  love.  The 
children  will  not  cry  when  an  old  Lombardy  poplar  or  balsam  fir  is 
cut  down  ; but  cut  away  an  old  apple  tree,  or  oak,  or  hickory,  that 
they  have  played  under,  and  their  hearts  will  be  quick  to  feel  the 
difference  between  trees.  Some  trees  look  really  motherly  in  their 
domestic  expression.  A large  old  apple  tree, 
Fig.  56,  is  a type  of  such  trees.  All  trees  that 
spread  broadly,  and  grow  low,  convey  this 
expression.  The  white  birch  is  a type,  on 
the  other  hand,  of  delicate  elegance,  and  is 
styled  by  one  of  our  poets 

“ * * * the  lady  of  the  woods.” 

There  are  trees  (like  those  women,  who,  though  brilliant  in 
drawing-rooms,  are  never  less  than  ladies  when  busy  in  domestic 
labors)  which  are  useful  and  profitable  in  orchard  and  forest,  but 
are  doubly  beautiful  in  robes  of  greater  luxuriance  upon  the  carpet 


Fig.  56. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES. 


279 


of  a rich  lawn.  There  are  others  which  no  care  in  culture  will 
make  ornaments  in  “the  best  society.” 

Whoever  studies  the  varied  beauties  of  trees  will  find  that 
they  possess  almost  a human  interest,  and  their  features  will 
reveal  varieties  of  expression,  and  charms  of  character,  that  dull 
observers  cannot  imagine. 

“ The  poplars  shiver,  the  pine  trees  moan.’ 

The  differences  between  a Lombardy  poplar,  an  oak,  and  a 
weeping  willow  are  so  striking  that  the  most  careless  eye  cannot 
mistake  one  for  the  other.  The  poplar,  tall,  slender,  rigid,  is  a 
type  of  formality ; the  oak,  broad,  massy,  rugged-limbed,  has  ever 
been  a symbol  of  strength,  majesty,  and  protection;  and  the  willow, 
also  broad  and  massy,  but  so  fringed  all  over  with  pensile-spray 
that  its  majesty  is  forgotten  in  the  exquisite  grace  of  its  movement, 
is,  to  the  oak,  as  the  fullness  and  grace  of  a noble  woman  to  the 
robust  strength  of  man. 

The  more  obvious  peculiarities  and  diversities  of  trees  we  shall 
endeavor  to  present  from  an  aesthetic,  rather  than  a botanist’s 
point  of  view ; not  in  the  interest  of  science,  or  of  pecuniary  utili- 
tarianism, but  so  as  to  aid  the  student  of  nature  to  appreciate  their 
beauties ; appealing  simply  to  that  love  of  the  beautiful  in  nature 
which  hungers  in  the  eyes  of  all  good  people.  The  delightful 
science  of  botany  is  not  likely  to  be  over-estimated,  but  its  study 
is  no  more  necessary  to  the  appreciation  of  trees  than  the  study 
of  the  chemistry  of  the  air,  or  the  anatomy  of  the  ear,  to  the  lover 
of  music. 

What  are  the  essential  beauties  of  trees  ? 

We  shall  name  first  that  most  essential  quality  of  all  beauty — 

The  Beauty  of  Health. — No  tree  has  the  highest  beauty  of 
its  type  without  the  appearance,  in  its  whole  bearing,  of  robust 
vigor.  There  may  be  peculiar  charms  in  the  decay  of  an  old  trunk, 
or  the  eccentric  habit  of  some  stunted  specimen,  which  ministers  to 
a love  of  the  picturesque ; but  true  beauty  and  health  are  as  in- 
separable in  trees,  as  in  men  and  women.  Luxuriant  vigor  is,  then, 
the  essential  condition  of  all  beautiful  trees.  Thriftiness  cannot 


280 


A COMPARISON  OF  THE 


make  an  elm  look  like  an  oak,  but  rather  brings  into  higher  relief 
the  distinguishing  marks  of  each,  making  the  elm  more  graceful, 
and  the  oak  more  majestic.  Yet  uncommon  thriftiness  changes 
the  forms  of  some  trees  so  much  that  specimens  growing  in  the 
shade  of  the  forest,  stinted  by  want  of  sunlight,  and  crowded  by 
roots  of  rival  trees,  are  tall,  lank,  and  straggling  in  limb,  with  scanty 
foliage ; while  the  same  species  grown  in  rich  open  ground  becomes 
glorious  with  its  breadth  and  weighty  masses  of  foliaged  boughs. 
Who  would  know  the  common  chestnut  in  the  forest  by  its  form,  as 
the  same  tree  that  spreads  its  arms  in  the  open  field  with  all  the 
majesty  of  the  oak?  Or  the  “mast-timber”  branchless  white  pine 
of  a Maine  forest  as  the  same  tree  that  forms  in  open  ground  a 
broad-based  pyramid  of  evergreen  foliage,  and  broods  with  its  vast 
branches  like  a broad-winged  bird  upon  a meadow-nest  ? The  crooked 
sassafras  of  the  woods,  Fig.  57,  running  up  as  if 
uncertain  what  point  in  the  heavens  to  aim  at, 
and  at  what  height  to  put  out  its  arms,  seems  as 
unhappy  there  as  a cultured  citizen  forced  to 
spend  his  life  among  the  Camanches.  But  the 
same  tree,  in  rich  soil  in  the  open  sun,  expands 
naturally,  as  in  Fig.  58,  into  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  heads  of  foliage  among  small  trees. 
Few  trees  attain  a full  measure  of  thrift  that  are 
not  fully  exposed  east,  south,  and  west  to  the  sun.  We  do  not 
mean  to  assert  that  trees  will  not  be  beautiful  without  such  com- 
plete exposure,  but  that,  to  realize  the  highest 
Fig.  58.  beauty  of  which  any  one  specimen  is  capable,  it 
must  be  so  exposed.  A greater  variety  of  beauty 
is  obtained  from  a group  made  up  of  more  than 
one  species  of  tree,  thus  contrasting  several  sorts 
of  foliage  and  form,  than  from  a single  tree  which 
might  have  grown  to  cover  the  same  space ; and 
we  therefore  sacrifice  the  highest  type  of  indi- 
vidual perfection  to  produce  more  striking  effects  with  several 
trees.  But  the  same  fact  must  be  observed  with  reference  to  the 
group ; — its  full  beauty  can  only  be  realized  by  having  the  trees 
in  luxuriant  growth ; and  open,  collectively,  on  all  sides  to  the  sun. 


Fig.  57. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES . 


281 


Beauty  of  Form. — Next  to  the  beauty  that  comes  from  vigor 
of  growth,  or  the  glow  of  high  health,  is  beauty  of  form.  On  this 
matter  tastes  differ  widely.  To  artists  it  seems  a vulgar  unculti- 
vated taste  to  prefer  a solid  pumpkin-headed  tree,  to  one  of  more 
irregular  outline  ; but  preference  is  so  often  expressed  for  trees  of 
such  forms  that  it  may  be  imprudent  to  speak  disrespectfully  of  it. 
Such  trees  certainly  possess  the  first  element  of  beauty  of  form, 
viz.,  symmetry;  but  it  is  symmetry  without  variety.  They  may  also 
have  the  beauty  of  thrift  and  good  color.  An 
apple  tree  from  fifteen  to  twenty  years  old  has 
this  quality  of  head  as  shown  in  Fig.  59.  As  it 
grows  old,  however,  its  form  changes  materially, 
so  that  its  outline  is  quite  irregular  and  spirited 
— broader,  nobler,  and  more  domestic  in  expres- 
sion— as  will  be  seen  by  comparing  Fig.  56  with 
Fig.  59-  Young  sugar  maples  have  similar  forms  slightly  elon- 
gated, as  shown  by  Fig.  60,  though  with  age  they  break  into  out- 
lines less  monotonous,  as  shown  by  Fig.  61,  and 
their  shadows  have  more  character.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  horse-chestnuts.  The  hicko- 
ries and  the  white  oak,  assume  more  varied 
outlines  while  young,  without  losing  that  balance 
of  parts  which  constitutes  symmetry.  Sugar 
maples  are  always  symmetric  in  every  stage  of 
their  growth ; but  their  early  symmetry  is  insipid,  like  that  of  the 
human  face  when  unexceptionable  in  features,  but  devoid  of  ex- 
pression ; or  rather  like  that  of  the  doll-face, 
which  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  either  features 
or  expression,  but  only  beauty  of  color,  the 
semblance  of  health,  and  features  faintly  sug- 
gested. The  change  in  forms  of  many  trees 
which  are  excessively  smooth  in  their  early  out- 
lines is  towards  more  and  more  variety  of  con- 
tour and  depth  of  shadow  as  they  approach 
maturity,  and  occasionally  in  old  age  they  de- 
velop into  grandly  picturesque  trees ; as  in  the 
case  of  the  white  oak  and  the  chestnut  among  deciduous  trees,  and 
the  cedar  of  Lebanon  among  evergreens. 


Fig.  61. 


Fig.  60. 


Fig.  59. 


282 


A CO  MPARISON  OF  THE 


Fig.  63. 


Fig.  62.  To  what  extent  a tendency  to  pictur- 

esqueness may  go,  without  loss  of  symmetry, 
it  is  not  easy  to  say.  Fig.  62  is  a well-pro- 
portioned tree  of  picturesque  outline,  and 
symmetrical  as  to  the  balance  of  its  parts, 
but  not  in  the  similitude  of  its  opposite 
halves.  It  is  a form  often  seen  in  our  native 
locusts  and  the  Scotch  elm.  Figs.  63  and 
64  are  both  symmetrical,  strikingly  pictur- 
esque in  outline,  and  yet  totally  unlike  each  other.  The  first  is  a 
form  quite  common  to  young  weeping  elms  ; but  with  age,  unlike 
most  trees,  they  become  more  symmetrical 
and  smoothly  rounded.  A full-grown  weep- 
ing elm  is  the  most  perfect  example  of  the 
union  of  symmetry,  grace,  and  picturesque- 
ness, among  all  the  trees  of  the  temperate 
zone. 

Tree  outlines  may  be  divided  into  two 
great  classes  of  forms,  which  merge  into  each 
other  in  every  variety  of  combination.  These 
are  round-headed  trees,  and  conical , or  pyra- 
midal trees. 

Fig.  64  is  a form  characteristic  of  rapidly  grown  scarlet  oaks  or 
ginkgo  trees. 

The  contrast  between  this  form  and  that  of  the  young  elm 
above,  is  very  marked;  yet  in  outline  they  are  almost  equally 
spirited,  and  in  the  balance  of  their  oppo- 
site parts  are  alike  perfect.  The  elm,  how- 
ever, has  the  higher  type  of  beauty,  by 
reason  of  the  less  mechanical  distribution  of 
its  weight,  and  the  bolder  projection  of  its 
branches.  All  such  spirited  forms  suggest 
an  inherent  life  and  will  in  the  tree,  a kind 
of  playful  disregard  of  set  forms,  a youthful 
daring  and  defiance  of  the  laws  of  gravita- 
tion that  is  apt  to  please  persons  of  imag- 
inative minds.  They  are  always  favorites  with  artists  ; while  trees 
of  more  compact  and  methodical  arrangement  are  preferred  by 


Fig.  64. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES. 


283 


persons  with  whose  characters  these  traits  har-  Fig.  65. 
monize.  These  observations  refer  to  outlines 
only ; the  expressions  of  trees  produced  by  other 
traits  often  modify  our  preferences  for  trees  of 
favorite  forms,  by  presenting  combinations  of 
other  kinds  of  beauty  in  trees  of  less  interest- 
ing outlines. 


Round-Headed  Trees. — By  round-headed  is 
meant  simply  a general  effect  of  roundness,  or  of 
smoothness  of  outline  in  the  several  masses  that 
compose  the  head  of  a tree.  The  young  apple 
tree,  Fig.  65,  is  a perfect  type  of  this  form,  and 
may  more  specifically  be  called  a globular  tree, 
to  distinguish  the  complete  roundness  of  its 
form  from  those  other  round-headed  trees  which 
are  more  nearly  hemispherical. 

Among  round-headed  trees  the  different  forms 
of  roundness  are  distinguished  by  more  specific 
names.  The  sugar  maple  usually  takes  the  form 
of  an  egg  with  the  small  end  up,  as  shown  in 
Fig.  66,  and  is  therefore  termed  ovate.  The 
hickory,  Fig.  67,  more  nearly  fills  the  geometric 
figure  that  we  call  oval.  The  elm,  Fig.  68,  fills 
one-half  a semicircle  or  more,  with  its  head,  and 
is  of  a class  of  trees  appropriately  called  um- 
brella-topped ; — technically  they  are  called  oblate , 
or  flattened-oval.  An  old  apple  tree,  Fig.  69, 
is  a good  example  of  this  form,  and  Fig.  58, 
page  280,  of  a well  grown  sassafras,  is  another. 

The  white  oak,  Fig.  70,  the  native  chestnut 
(castanea),  and  the  hickories,  all  have  outlines 
. much  broken,  but  the  general  effect  is  that  of 
rounded  forms. 

Many  of  the  pines  when  grown  to  ma- 
turity become  round-headed  trees,  though  pyra- 
midal when  young. 


Fig.  67. 


Fig.  68. 


Fig.  69. 


284 


A COMPARISON  OF  THE 


Fig.  70. 


Fig.  71. 


Fig.  7a. 


Conical  Trees. — This  term  is  sufficiently  explicit,  and  includes 
all  those  trees  of  flatly  conical  form  which  are  usually  called 
pyramidal.  The  latter  term  refers  to  those  members  of  the  conical 
class  which  have  a breadth  about  equal  to  their  height.  The  pear 
tree,  Fig.  71,  among  deciduous  trees,  is  a type  of  the  pyramidal 
form. 

The  Norway  spruce  and  hemlocks,  Fig.  72,  are  types  of  conical 
forms.  Most  species  of  poplar  (the  Lombardy  poplar  being  an 
exception)  have  the  pyramidal-conical  form  while  young,  but  with 
age  they  round  out  into  trees  of  the  first  class.  The  Balm  of 
Gilead  poplar,  and  the  cucumber  tree,  are  good  examples  of  com- 
pact deciduous  trees  of  this  class  when  young,  but  they  all  become 
round-headed  trees  at  maturity. 

Nearly  all  evergreens  are  conical  when  young,  and  very  many 
of  deciduous  trees  also.  Few  of  the  latter,  however,  retain  this 
character  after  they  are  full  grown.  The  white  pine  when  quite 
young  is  an  open-limbed  conical  tree ; but  when  twenty  years  old, 
if  it  has  grown  in  congenial  soil,  and  an  open  exposure,  it 
assumes  an  ovate-pyramidal  form,  with  the  rounded  masses  of 
foliage  that  characterize  round-headed  trees,  but  retains  otherwise 
the  general  outlines  of  the  conical  class  in  its  after  growth.  The 
yellow  or  northern  pitch  pine  (P.  rigida ) changes  from  a straggling 
conical  form  when  young,  to  an  irregularly  branched  oblate-headed 
tree  in  age.  The  Scotch  pine,  which  is  ot  a rounded  conical  form 
when  young,  becomes,  with  age,  as  picturesquely  rounded  as  the 
oak.  The  scarlet  oak,  Fig.  64,  is  a good  example  of  a straggling 
conical  form  when  young,  though  it  becomes  a loose  round-headed 
tree  at  maturity. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES. 


285 


The  balsam  fir,  the  Norway  spruce,  and  Fig.  74- 
Fig.  73*  the  hemlock  are  conical  from  first  to  last, 
swelling  out,  however,  at  maturity,  into  the 
ovate-conical  form,  of  which  the  Swiss  or 
stone  pine  (P.  cembra\  Fig.  73,  is  a type  in 
every  stage  of  its  growth.  The  cedar  of 
Lebanon  is  a distinctly  pyramidal-conical 
tree  when  young,  but  widens  out  as  it  ma- 
tures, and  finally  spreads  into  an  immense 
oblate  head.  The  junipers  embrace  species  which  are  the  most 
slenderly  conical  of  evergreens ; the  Irish  juniper,  Fig.  74,  having 
rather  the  form  of  a slender  club  than  of  a cone.  Some  varieties 
of  the  Norway  spruce,  and  the  European  silver-fir,  are  now  being 
propagated,  which  have  branches  so  pendulous  that  they  are  nearly 
as  slenderly  conical  as  these  junipers. 

Among  deciduous  trees  the  Lombardy  poplar,  Fig.  75,  Fig.  75 
is  the  type  of  what  are  called  fastigiate  trees ; i.  e.,  trees 
of  upright  and  compact  growth,  being  distinguished  from 
other  conical  trees  by  a tendency  to  vertical  parallelism 
of  the  branches.  The  balsam  fir  and  the  Norway  spruce 
are  both  conical  trees,  but  having  nearly  horizontal 
branches,  are  not  fastigiate ; while  the  Irish  juniper,  the 
arbor-vitaes,  and  the  Lombardy  poplaf,  are  all  fastigiate. 

It  needs  to  be  impressed  on  novices  in  the  study  of 
trees  that  all  these  various  types  of  trees  vary  greatly 
among  themselves,  so  that  specimens  of  any  species  are 
often  seen  quite  different  from  the  usual  type  of  that  spe- 
cies. These  variations  are  called  varieties , and  when  very 
marked  in  their  character  are  named,  propagated  from,  and  be- 
come the  curiosities  of  arboriculture. 

Pendulous  or  Weeping  Forms.— Of  late  years,  such  num- 
bers of  new  varieties  of  pendulous  trees  have  been  introduced, 
that  they  might  perhaps  be  considered  as  a class ; but  in  a simple 
classification  of  trees  by  their  outlines  alone,  they  will  be  found  to 
group  easily  with  one  or  another  of  the  classes  already  described. 
Pendulous  varieties  have  been  found  among  nearly  every  species 


286 


A COMPARISON  OF  THE 


of  our  hardy  trees,  both  deciduous  and  evergreen.  Many  of  them 
are  most  interesting,  curious,  and  picturesque  decorations  of  small 
lawns.  They  include  every  variety  of  outline,  from  the  columnar 
poplar,  the  slender  junipers,  and  the  majestic  weeping  willow,  down 
to  the  sorts  that  creep  along  the  ground.  The  weeping  junipers 
and  arbor-vitaes  (Thuja)  are  pensile  only  at  the  extremities  of  their 
limbs  ; the  new  pendulous  firs  (Abies  excelsa  pendula  and  Picea  pec- 
tinata  pe?idula)  are  slenderly  conical,  but  with  branches  drooping 
directly  and  compactly  downwards  around  a central  stem.  The 
hemlock  and  Norway  spruce  firs  belong  partly  to  the  class  of 
weeping  trees  on  account  of  their  pendant  plumy  spray,  and  the 
droop  of  their  branches  as  they  grow  old,  although  both  are  rigidly 
conical  trees  in  their  general  outlines.  The  weeping  white  birches 
have  upright  branches  and  pendulous  spray  when  young,  but  as 
they  increase  in  size  the  larger  branches  bend  with  rambling  grace 
in  harmony  with  their  spray,  and  form  picturesquely  symmetrical 
spreading  trees  ; while  the  weeping  beech,  assuming  every  uncouth 
contortion  when  young,  becomes  a tree  of  noble  proportions,  mag- 
nificently picturesque  with  age,  trailing  its  slender  crooked  limbs, 
covered  with  a drapery  of  dark  glossy  foliage  from  its  summit  to 
the  ground.  See  illustration  under  head  of  “The  Beech.” 


Fig.  76.  * _ _ 

Picturesque  Forms. — There  are 
trees  which  cannot  easily  be  classified — 
trees  of  straggling  or  eccentric  growth, 
like  the  weeping  elm,  Fig.  76,  the  honey 
locust,  Fig.  77,  and  the  weeping 
beech,  Fig.  104;  diffuse  and  rambling 
trees  like  young  scarlet  oaks,  old 
larches  and  pines,  and  most  of  the 
birch  family.  These  highly  picturesque 
forms  are  exceptional  among  park-grown  trees, 
and  are  charming  because  they  are  exceptional. 
Some  of  the  preceding  illustrations  show  how 
trees  may  at  the  same  time  be  symmetrical  and 
picturesque ; and  we  ask  the  reader  to  observe  how  much  more 
interesting  a tree  is  which  combines  both  beauties  than  the 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES. 


287 


lumpish  globular  types  which  are  commonly  admired.  But  there 
are  trees  which  lose,  or  never  have,  symmetry  of  form,  and,  like 
some  of  our  other  acquaintances,  are  interesting  for  their  oddi- 
ties. .Look,  for  instance,  at  the  accompanying  cut  of  the  strag- 
gling elm,  which  is  a portrait  from  nature,  and  the  portrait  of 
Parson’s  weeping  beech,  on  page  328.  The  latter  is  a luxuriant 
mass  of  pendant  branches  and  foliage,  erratic  in  all  directions,  and 
yet  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  young  trees.  It  is  bizarre, 
like  the  expressions  of  a wit.  Its  unlikeness  to  other  trees  is 
its  superiority ; but  the  exuberant  vigor  that  clothes  it  with  such 
masses  of  glossy  foliage,  adds  to  picturesqueness  the  constant 
loveableness  of  beautiful  health.  Of  the  trees  which  by  nature 
grow  irregularly,  the  native  larch,  or  hacmatack,  is  a familiar  ex- 
ample, its  head  generally  shooting  off  to  one  side  after  it  attains  a 
certain  height.  The  osage  orange  is  so  rambling  that  it  suggests 
a comparison  with  those  eccentric  geniuses  who,  having  decided 
talents  in  many  different  directions,  attempt  to  follow  them  all,  and 
whose  successes  or  failures  are  equally  interesting  to  observers. 
Many  specimens  of  the  weeping  elm,  while  young,  like  the  wild 
and  not  unusual  form  shown  by  Fig.  76,  are 
fine  examples  of  erratic  luxuriance,  but  they 
usually  fill  up,  with  age,  and  finally  become 
models  of  symmetry.  Trees  are  often  made 
picturesque  by  accidents,  as  the  breaking  of 
trunks  or  important  branches  by  summer  tor- 
nados, or  the  falling  of  other  trees  upon  them. 
Fig.  78  is  an  example  from  nature  of  a white 
oak  upwards  of  three  feet  in  diameter,  which, 
when  young,  was  bent  by  the  fall  of  some  great  tree  that  rested 
upon  it,  until  all  the  fibres  of  its  wood  had  conformed  to  the  forced 
position.  Fig.  79  is  another  sketch  from  nature  of  an  oak  that 
has  been  robbed  of  a part  of  its  main  trunk,  and  is  picturesque 
in  .consequence  of  it.  Advantage  should  always  be  taken  of  the 
striking  effect  of  such  trees  by  placing  gate-ways  or  conducting 
walks  under  them,  if  practicable ; or,  if  not,  then  to  make  them 
parts  of  groups  in  such  a way  that  their  picturesqueness  may  be 
brought  into  high  relief. 


Fig.  77. 


288 


A COMPARISON  OF  THE 


The  mere  weight , breadth , and  height  of  the  trunk  and  branches 

of  a tree,  without  reference  to  its 
outlines  or  foliage,  are  the  principal 
sources  of  majesty  in  trees ; and  it 
is  when  majesty  and  picturesqueness 
are  combined  that  we  realize  our 
higher  ideals  of  grandeur.  A tree 
with  massive  horizontal  branches  in- 
voluntarily impresses  us  with  a sense 
of  the  immense  inherent  strength 
that  can  sustain  so  great  a weight  in  a position  that  most  squarely 
defies  the  mechanical  force  of  gravity ; and  therefore  conveys  the 
impression  of  majesty,  though  it  has  no  extraordinary  height  or 
dimensions.  On  the  other  hand,  the  tulip-tree,  or  the  cottonwood, 
with  a straight  and  lofty  stem  from  three  to  six  feet  in  diameter, 
is  a grand  object  by  virtue  of  its  weight,  and  loftiness,  and  the 
power  that  its  dimensions  express,  though  its  head  may  not  be 
proportionally  large,  nor  its  bark  or  branches  massive,  rough,  and 

angular,  or  its  outline  irregular  enough 
to  be  picturesque.  The  sycamore,  or 
buttonball,  is  a familiar  example  of  a 
swelling  trunk  of  majestic  size.  Its 
bark  is  as  smooth  in  age  as  in  youth ; 
but  it  has  a certain  picturesqueness 
from  the  contrasts  of  color  caused  by 
shedding  its  thin  bark  laminae  in  scales  ; 
and  majesty  by  its  size,  and  the  bold- 
ness of  its  divergent  branches. 

Mere  size  of  trunk,  and  weight  of  branches,  affect  us  so 
powerfully,  that  when  we  have  lived  near  a fine  old  tree,  it  is  not 
so  much  the  beauty  of  its  foliage,  or  the  pleasures  of  its  shade,  that 
produce  the  reverent  love  we  have  for  it,  but  the  unconscious 
presence  of  the  majesty  of  Nature  impressing  us  like 

“ * * * an  emanation  from  the  indwelling  spirit  of  the  Deity.” 

By  referring  to  the  vignette  of  the  oak  at  the  head  of  page  302, 
the  effect  produced  by  mere  breadth  and  weight  in  producing 


Fig.  79. 


Fig.  78. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES . 289 

majesty , will  be  readily  appreciated.  There  is  neither  symmetry 
nor  thrift  in  its  rough  trunk  and  huge  gnarled  branches ; but 
there  is  a power  and  strength  there,  which  represents  the  history  of 
centuries  of  growth  and  battle  with  the  elements.  It  is  a scarred 
old  veteran,  a forest  Jupiter,  “ a brave  old  oak.” 

Bryant  thus  apostrophizes  one  of  these  old  monarchs : 


“Ye  have  no  history.  I cannot  know 
Who,  when  the  hill-side  trees  were  hewn  away, 
Haply  two  centuries  since,  bade  spare  this  oak 
Leaning  to  shade  with  his  irregular  arms, 

Low-bent  and  long,  the  fount  that  from  his  roots 
ijlips  through  a bed  of  cresses  toward  the  bay. 

I know  not  who,  but  thank  him  that  he  left 
The  tree  to  flourish  where  the  acorn  fell, 

And  join  these  later  days  to  that  far  time 
While  yet  the  Indian  hunter  drew  the  bow 
In  the  dim  woods,  and  the  white  woodman  first 
Opened  these  fields  to  sunshine,  turned  the  soil 
And  strewed  the  wheat.  An  unremembered  Past 
Broods  like  a presence,  ’mid  the  long  gray  boughs 
Of  this  old  tree,  which  has  outlived  so  long 
The  flitting  generations  of  mankind.” 


The  imagination  is  stirred  to  an  indescribable  affection  or 
reverence  for  such  ancient  trunks  that  it  is  difficult  to  account 
for ; — a something  allied  to  the  love  or  awe  with  which  we  regard 
the  Deity. 

Among  the  sources  of  picturesque  effect  in  old  trees  are  the 
sharp  lights  and  shades  caused  by  the  deep  furrows  and  breaks  in 
their  bark,*  the  abrupt  angles  of  their  great  limbs,  and  the  broad 
openings  through  the  masses  of  their  foliage  that  allow  the  sun  to 
fleck  with  bright  lights  parts  of  the  tree  which  are  surrounded  with 
deep  shadows  ; — causing  what  artists  call  bold  effects^  These  are 
always  inferior  in  young  trees,  though  there  is  a vast  difference  in 
different  species  of  trees  of  similar  age  and  size  in  their  tendency 
to  produce  these  effects. 


* At  Montgomery  Place,  near  Barrytown,  on  the  Hudson,  are  some  old  locust  trees  with  bark 
so  deeply  furrowed  as  to  make  their  trunks  picturesque  to  an  extraordinary  degree,  so  that  this 
character  is  a sufficient  offset  to  the  meagreness  of  their  stunted  tops  to  save  them  from  destruc- 
tion. A city  visitor  there  once  asked  the  proprietor  why  she  did  not  have  the  bark  cue  off— “it 
looks  so  very  rough  ! ” 


19 


290 


A COMPARISON  OF  THE 


Lights  and  Shadows. — The  quality  of  trees,  which  is  least 
observed  except  by  painters,  and  yet  one  which  has  much  to  do 
with  their  expression,  and  our  preferences  for  one  or  another  sort, 
is  their  manner  of  reflecting  the  light  in  masses,  so  that  it  is 
brought  into  high  relief  by  the  dark  shade  of  openings  in  the 
foliage,  against  which  the  lights  are  contrasted.  If  the  reader  will 
study  trees,  he  will  see  that  the  lines  of  light  and  shade  in  the 
Lombardy  poplar,  Fig.  80,  are  nearly  vertical,  and  in  narrow  strips, 
Fig.  8o.  in  harmony  with  the  outlines  of  the  tree,  while  in  the 
balsam  fir  and  the  beech,  Fig.  81,  they  are  in  nearly  hori- 
zontal layers,  and  looking  as  though  the  tree  had  been 
built  up  in  sttatas.  Most  of  the  arbor-vitae  family  grow 
so  compact  that  their  shadows,  seen  at  a little  distance, 
are  much  like  those  of  solid  bodies,  the  openings  in  their 
spray  being  so  small,  that  their  surfaces  are  little  broken 
by  shadows.  Young  apple,  maple,  and  chestnut  trees, 
present,  when  young,  such  unbroken  surfaces  of  leaves, 
that  it  is  proper  to  say  of  them,  then,  that  they  have  in- 
sipid or  unformed  characters.  Compare  the  cut  of  the 
young  apple,  Fig.  82,  with  an  old  tree,  Fig.  83,  or  the 
young  maple,  Fig.  84,  with  the  mature  one,  Fig.  85,  and 
it  will  be  seen  that  not  merely  their  outlines  have  changed  with 
age,  but  that  there  are  bolder  shadows,  and  consequently  more 
striking  lights  in  the  masses  of  their  foliage. 
The  native  chestnut  ( Castanea  vesca)  ex- 
hibits a much  more  radical  change  from 
youth  to  age  in  its  shadows.  When  young 
it  resembles  in  form  the  young  apple  tree ; 
but  when  middle-aged,  it  breaks  up  into 
broader  masses  than  any  other  native  tree, 
except  the  white  oak,  which  in  age  it  most 
resembles.  Fig.  105  shows  its  characteristic 
break  of  light  and  shadow.  It  will  be  seen 
that  it  is  neither  in  vertical  nor  horizontal  lines,  but  quite  irregular, 
and  in  large,  instead  of  small  masses.  Herein  consists  one  of  the 
characteristics  that  distinguish  majestic,  or  grand,  from  simply  beau- 
tiful trees.  The  sugar  maple,  as  shown  in  Fig.  85,  is  broken  into 


Fig.  81. 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES. 


291 


clearly-defined  masses  of  light  and  shade,  but 
the  masses  are  small — too  narrow  and  too  nu-  Fig.  82. 

merous  to  produce  the  grand  effects  of  the 
larger  openings  in  the  oak  and  chestnut,  though 
our  cut  shows  larger  lights  and  shadows  than 
are  usual  in  the  maple.  The  brighter  green 
and  more  abundant  foliage  of  the  maple  make 
amends  for  this  inferiority,  but  it  is  none  the  less  an  inferiority. 
An  examination  of  the  structure  of  these  trees  in  winter  will  show 
why  the  oak  and  the  chestnut  mass  their  foliage 
more  nobly.  It  if  because  they  have  fewer  and 
larger  branches,  not  radiating  like  those  of.  the 
maple  with  uniform  divergence,  but  breaking 
out  here  and  there  at  right  angles  with  the  part 
from  which  they  issue.  The  consequence  is, 
that  when  they  are  in  leaf,  the  projecting  leaf  surfaces  and  the 
shadow  openings  are  larger  and  nobler  in  expression.  The  hick- 
ories are  all  observable  for  the  massiveness  of  their  lights  and 
shadows,  and,  unlike  the  chestnut,  they  assume 
this  character  while  yet  young.  By  the  shadows 
alone  it  would  not  be  easy  to  distinguish  a 
hickory  from  an  oak  or  chestnut,  though  they 
are  readily  distinguishable  at  sight  by  difference 
of  contour — the  hickory  being  proportionally 
taller  and  squarer  than  the  others.  There  is, 
however,  a difference  in  the  shadows  that  close  observers  will  mark : 
the  wood  being  more  elastic,  the  branches  of  old  trees  bend  to 
form  curved  lines,  which  give  the  shadows  a similar  general  di- 
rection, as  will  be  seen  on  Fig.  86.  This  effect 
may  be  seen  in  many  other  trees,  and  is  more 
noticeable  in  the  lower  than  the  upper  part  of 
the  tree.  There  are  many  species  which  can  be 
distinguished  readily  by  this  peculiarity  in  their 
shadows  in  connection  with  their  contours.  The 
sassafras,  Fig.  87,  naturally  takes  an  umbrella 
form  of  head,  and  its  foliage  divides  into  cur- 
vilinear strata,  or  rather  appears  so  as  seen 


Fig.  85. 


Fig.  84. 


Fig.  83. 


292 


A COMPARISON  OF  TEE 


from  the  ground.  The  linden  tree  when  old,  and  the  common 
dog- wood  ( Cornus  florida ),  have  similar  lines  of  shadows. 

If  we  classify  trees  by  their  surface  lights  and  shadows  alone, 
they  will  divide  into  three  classes,  viz:  first, 
those  whose  lights  and  shadows  fall  in  lines 
approaching  the  vertical ; second,  those  which 
divide  into  strata  horizontally ; third,  those 
which  break  into  irregular  masses.  The  Lom- 
bardy poplar  will  be  the  type  of  the  former , the 
common  beech,  Fig,  88,  of  the  second : and  the 
white  oak  of  the  latter.  Most  evergreen  trees 
belong  to  the  second  group.  The  first  class 
comprises  a comparatively  small  number  of 
trees,  but  many  which  belong  to  one  of  the  last  two  groups  at 
maturity,  are  members  of  the  first  when  young. 

The  cedar  of  Lebanon  is  the  most  remarkable  of  trees  in  the 
second  class.  It  is  the  embodiment  of  majesty 
Fie.  87.  in  its  class,  as  the  oak  of  the  third  class.  Of  our 
native  trees,  the  white  pine  is  the  grandest  type 
among  evergreens  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
of  trees  with  stratified  shadows,  as  the  beech  is 
among  deciduous  trees.  The  pin  oak  is  a fa- 
miliar example  of  stratified  foliage.  Its  foliage 
layers  are  as  distinctly  marked  as  those  of  the 
beech,  but  its  branches  droop  more  ; and  are  so  twiggy,  thorny,  and 
inter-tangled,  that  its  expression  is  ruder  and  its  shadows  less  noble 
than  those  of  the  pine  or  beech.  The  Nor- 
way spruce  and  the  hemlock,  though  the 
small  spray  falls  with  plume-like  grace,  and 
the  branches  droop  from  the  trunk,  divide 
into  masses  of  light  and  shadow  in  nearly 
horizontal  lines.  All  the  trees  which  main- 
tain this  stratified  character  of  shadows 
have  more  sameness  of  outline  and  monot- 
ony of  expression  than  those  which  break 
into  larger  and  irregular  masses.  The 
weeping  willow,  when  full  grown,  with  all  its  delicacy  of  foliage  and 


Fig.  88. 


* 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES. 


293 


softness  of  outline,  becomes  majestic  and  noble  by  the  massive 
irregularity  of  its  shadows ; while  the  Lombardy  poplars,  Fig. 
89,  stratified  vertically  by  shadows  as  of  long  bundles 
of  foliaged  faggots,  convey  an  impression  of  having  all 
been  cast  in  a common  mould.  The  same  effect  is 
produced  by  the  upright  junipers,  the  arbor-vitaes,  and 
other  trees  of  conical  outlines  and  fastigiate  shadow 
lines.  Such  repetitions  of  the  same  formal  outlines,  how- 
ever, tend  to  make  them  appropriate  connecting  links 
between  the  regularity  and  symmetry  of  street  improve- 
ments, of  which  they  form  a part,  and  the  wild  graces  of 
nature  which  are  in  contrast  with  the  repetitions  and 
parallelisms  of  architectural  art.  Such  trees  are,  there- 
fore, used  with  happy  effect  in  connection  with  garden 
walks  and  terraces,  and  near  buildings.  But  they  must 
never  be  seen  in  numbers  together,  or  they  produce  the 
effect  of  a superfluity  of  exclamation  points  in  composition.  Trees 
like  the  Norway  spruce,  though  less  formal  in  outline  and  shadows 
than  those  just  named,  have  still  so  much  of  this  same  uniformity 
and  even  rigidity  of  expression,  that  they  need  to  be  introduced 
much  more  sparingly  among  other  trees,  near  to  architecture  of  any 
kind,  than  those  of  more  diversified  forms  and  shadows.  One 
spiry-top  tree  will  serve  to  give  spirit  to  a whole  group  of  round- 
headed  trees  or  shrubs,  while  a group  of  spiry-top  trees  with  one 
round-headed  tree  in  it,  at  once  conveys  the  impression  of  incon- 
gruity. Spiry-top  trees  should  be  considered  as  condiments  in  the 
landscape — never  as  main  features.  Trees  and  shrubs  of  formal 
outlines  are  the  natural  adjuncts  of  grounds  arranged  on  a geometric 
plan,  while  those  of  freer  growth  are  most  becoming  where  geo- 
metric lines  are  avoided.  In  speaking  of  the  “wild  graces  of  nature  ” 
as  in  contrast  with  architectural  art,  we  do  not  mean  to  convey  the 
impression  that  such  a contrast  is  undesirable.  On  the  contrary,  the 
most  perfect  works  of  art  in  landscape  gardening  are  those  in  which 
the  free  graces  of  nature  are  so  arranged,  that  the  architectural 
features  of  the  place  will  look  as  if  they  had  been  made  for  just  such 
a setting.  Contrast  does  not  imply  want  of  harmony ; it  is  a part  of 
harmony ; it  is  rest  from  monotony ; it  is  as  light  to  shadow. 


294 


A COMPARISON  OF  THE 


Evergreen  and  Deciduous  Trees  and  Shrubs  Com- 
pared.— It  is  a common  complaint  among  tree-growers  that  ever- 
greens are  neglected  more  than  other  trees,  considering  their 
peculiar  merits  in  giving  winter  as  well  as  summer  verdure.  We 
do  not  agree  with  this  view.  The  whole  coniferae  or  evergreen 
tribe  were,  according  to  the  records  of  geology,  an  earlier  and  (if 
the  harmony  of  progress  in  the  development  of  both  the  vegetable 
and  animal  worlds  is  believed)  necessarily  an  inferior  order  of  vege- 
tation to  the  later  forms  of  deciduous  trees.  And  we  think  that 
those  lovers  of  trees  who  study  them  in  middle  age  and  maturity, 
rather  than  in  their  nursery  growth  and  infantile  graces,  will  rank 
very  few  of  the  evergreens  as  peers  in  richness  and  cheerfulness 
of  verdure,  or  grace  and  variety  of  expression,  with  the  finest  spe- 
cimens of  deciduous  trees.  During  the  first  twenty  years  of  their 
growth,  however,  their  most  beautiful  characteristics  are  so  con- 
spicuous, and  afford  to  the  novice  in  the  study  of  trees  so  many 
novel  graces  of  form,  color  and  growth — their  little  pyramids  of 
verdure  gleaming  brightly  through  snows  in  winter,  or  resting 
lovingly  on  the  lawn  and  perfuming  the  air  with  their  balsamic 
breath  in  summer — that  they  seem  to  us  more  like  our  own  chil- 
dren, than  those  more  aspiring  trees  of  deciduous  breeds  which 
stretch  away  upwards  with  rambling  vigor  while  young,  and  whose 
beauties  begin  to  multiply  only  after  their  branches  sway  in  the 
air  far  over  our  heads.  The  very  peculiarity  which,  in  youth, 
makes  the  evergreens,  as  a class,  more  charming  than  deciduous 
trees,  viz : feathery  gracefulness  of  their  foliage  and  outlines,  is 
reversed  at  maturity,  when  most  of  them  become  more  rigid  and 
monotonous  in  outline,  and  less  cheerful  in  expression,  than  the 
average  of  deciduous  trees.  There  is  a comparative  sameness  of 
form  and  manner  of  branching  among  evergreens,  in  marked  con- 
trast with  the  infinite  variety  among  deciduous  trees. 

But  though  the  coniferae  may  not  take  equal  rank  with  deciduous 
trees  in  the  variety  of  their  forms  or  expressions  at  maturity,  they 
certainly  offer  the  most  pleasing  studies  for  the  beginner  in  gar- 
denesque  planting.  Many  new  species  of  a semi-dwarf  character 
have  been  introduced  within  a few  years,  and  it  has  also  been 
found  that  many  of  the  larger  species  may,  by  good  trimming,  be 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES . 


295 


kept  within  a size  suited  to  the  limited  spaces  of  suburban  lots, 
either  as  single  specimens,  or  as  hedge  screens.  For  the  latter 
purpose,  where  it  is  desirable  to  break  the  force  of  winds,  or  hide 
unsightly  objects,  they  may  be  grown  and  cut  to  almost  any  height 
and  form  necessary  for  the  purpose.  While  deciduous  trees  and 
shrubs,  which  in  summer  lorm  massy  walls  of  verdure,  are  all  dis- 
robed, and  suffer  the  wintry  winds  to  whistle  freely  through  their 
bare  branches,  the  evergreen  screen  is  still  a thick  wall  of  protec- 
tion to  whatever  of  less  height  is  under  its  lee. 

One  of  the  most  striking  beauties  or  evergreens  is  the  manner 
in  which  their  branches  bear  great  burdens  of  snow,  and  bend  un- 
der them.  The  softly-rounded  drooping  masses  of  light  on  the 
outer  boughs,  relieved  by  dark  recesses  in  the  foliage,  make  every 
tree,  at  such  times,  a study  for  a picture. 

The  winter  color  of  evergreens  is  much  more  affected  by  the 
temperature  than  most  persons  suppose.  In  extremely  cold  weather 
most  evergreens  become  dull  in  color,  and  resume  their  brightness 
only  with  returning  warmth.  This  is  always  observed  in  the  red 
cedar,  and  some  of  the  arbor-vitaes ; the  former  turning  to  a dingy 
brown  in  cold  weather ; and  the  latter,  though  less  discolored,  are 
much  duller  in  tone  during  severe  weather ; but  with  the  return  of 
the  warm  days  of  spring  both  resume  their  normal  brightness  and 
purity  of  color.  Even  the  foliage  of  the  white  pine  shows  a very 
marked  change  from  the  effect  of  cold ; often  turning  to  a dull 
grayish  green  when  the  cold  is  greatest,  though  with  the  return  of 
warmth  the  same  leaves  regain  their  warm  green  color.  These 
facts  illustrate  that  even  evergreens  are  most  beautiful  in  summer, 
except  so  far  as  their  masses  of  foliage  afford  a resting-place  in 
winter  for  the  snow,  and  thus  create  beautiful  effects  peculiar  to 
themselves  which  deciduous  trees  cannot  rival. 

The  beauty  of  trees,  whether  deciduous  or  evergreen,  depends 
very  much  upon  the  character  of  light  in  the  atmosphere.  The 
most  beautiful  foliage  of  a deciduous  tree,  under  the  leaden  sky  of 
a winter  day,  would  be  most  gloomy  and  unattractive  compared 
with  its  expression  when  bathed  in  the  bright  light  of  a June  day, 
or  in  the  golden  air  of  an  August  sunset.  The  summer  light  with 
its  golden  shimmer  is  essential  to  the  highest  charm  of  trees ; and  it 


296 


A COMPARISON  OF  THE 


will  be  found  quite  impossible  to  produce  with  evergreens,  in  winter, 
any  of  that  glow  of  beauty  which  makes  the  heart  throb  with  silent 
love  for  verdant  nature  in  summer. 

But  in  the  warm  days  of  April  and  May,  when  the  evergreens 
have  resumed  their  true  colors,  and  seem  by  the  sudden  change 
from  their  wintry  dullness  to  fairly  smile  a welcome  to  spring,  their 
superiority  to  deciduous  trees  is  most  apparent.  Their  beauty  is 
then  ripe,  and  grounds  that  are  stocked  (not  too  densely)  with 
them — especially  the  smaller  species  and  varieties — have  a finish 
that  nothing  else,  at  that  season,  can  give.  In  June  and  July  also, 
their  long  plumes  and  tufts  of  leaves  open  and  droop  with  a grace 
of  which  there  is  no  counterpart  among  deciduous  trees  or  shrub- 
bery, superior  as  the  latter  are  in  amplitude  of  foliage  and  splendor 
of  blossoms.  Evergreens,  especially  the  firs,  with  age  are  apt  to 
become  gloomy  and  formal,  while  deciduous  trees  are  generally 
improved  with  age. 

The  valuable  acquisitions  from  abroad  of  new  species  and  varie- 
ties of  evergreens  adapted  to  the  embellishment  of  suburban  lots, 
is  very  great ; and  the  number  growing  within  the  limits  of  our  own 
country,  and  still  almost  unknown  except  by  a few  horticultural 
pioneers,  is  astonishing.  The  new  varieties  of  old  species,  which, 
by  the  propagating  arts  of  the  nurserymen  are  multiplied  for  the 
public  benefit,  are  also  numerous ; and  the  homely  adage  still  holds 
good  when  we  are  searching  for  novelties  among  trees  that  are  not 
natives  of  our  own  country,  that  “we  may  go  further  and  fare 
worse.”  The  grandest  and  most  beautiful  evergreen  that  grows  in 
our  climate  is  the  white  pine ; which,  to  our  shame  be  it  said,  is 
little  known  or  appreciated  except  for  its  value  to  cut  down,  and 
saw  into  the  lumber  used  in  our  houses.  The  native  hemlock, 
when  young,  is  still  the  most  picturesque  in  its  outline,  and  deli- 
cately graceful  in  foliage,  of  all  hardy  evergreens.  The  Norway 
spruce,  which  is  probably  the  most  valuable  tree  of  its  type,  is  not 
a native  ; and  is  largely  indebted  to  its  foreign  name  for  its  great 
popularity  and  universal  cultivation ; while  our  native  black  spruce, 
very  similar,  and  scarcely  inferior  to  it,  is  little  known. 

For  elegant  small  pleasure-grounds,  however,  the  newly  intro- 
duced dwarf  varieties  and  the  curious  sports  from  old  species,  are 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES . 


297 


novelties  which  deserve  to  be  studied  and  planted  more  than  the 
larger  and  nobler  evergreens. 

In  conclusion,  we  hope  that  in  canvassing  a few  of  the 'qualities 
of  evergreens  as  compared  with  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs,  we 
have  called  attention  to  the  best  qualities  of  both,  rather  than 
prejudiced  any  mind  against  either. 

Warmth  of  Trees  in  Winter  and  Coolness  in  Summer. — 
Our  clear-headed  horticulturist,  Thomas  Meehan,  of  Germantown, 
Pa.,  has  treated  this  subject  so  well  that  we  take  the  liberty  of 
adopting  his  language. 

“ We  all  know  that  a stove  throws  out  heat  by  reason  of  the  fuel 
it  consumes,  and  that  in  a like  manner  the  food  taken  by  an  animal 
is,  as  so  much  fuel  to  a stove,  the  source  from  whence  animal  heat 
is  derived,  and  which  is  given  off  to  the  surrounding  atmosphere, 
precisely  as  heat  is  given  off  from  the  stove ; but  it  is  not  so  well 
known  that  trees  give  off  heat  in  the  same  way.  They  feed  ; their 
food  is  decomposed ; and  during  decomposition  heat  is  generated, 
and  the  surplus  given  off  to  the  atmosphere. 

“ If  any  one  will  examine  a tree  a few  hours  after  the  cessation 
of  a snow  storm,  he  will  find  that  the  snow  for  perhaps  a quarter 
of  an  inch  from  the  stem  of  the  tree,  has  been  thawed  away,  more 
or  less  according  to  the  severity  of  the  cold.  This  is  owing  to  the 
waste  heat  from  the  tree.  If  he  plants  a hyacinth  four  inches  or 
more  under  the  surface  of  the  earth  in  November,  and  it  becomes 
immediately  frozen  in,  and  stays  frozen  solid  till  March,  yet,  when 
it  shall  then  be  examined,  it  will  be  found  that  by  the  aid  of  its 
internal  heat,  the  bud  has  thawed  itself  through  the  frozen  soil  to  the 
surface  of  the  ground. 

“ These  facts  show  the  immense  power  in  plants  to  generate 
heat,  and  the  more  trees  there  are  on  a property  the  warmer  a 
locality  becomes. 

“ Evergreens,  besides  possessing  this  heat-dispensing  property, 
have  the  additional  merit  of  keeping  in  check  cold  winds  from 
other  quarters,  thus  filling,  as  it  were,  the  twofold  office  of  stove 
and  blanket.”* 


* Am.  Hort.  Annual,  1867. 


298 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  TREES. 


The  simple  facts,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Meehan,  have  so  great  sig- 
nificance that  no  intelligent  man  who  thinks  of  them  can  fail  to 
appreciate  the  immense  influence  of  trees  on  climates ; and  every 
suburban  home  may  be  made  to  feel  in  some  degree  their  ameliora- 
ting effect. 

In  riding  to  a suburban  home  from  business  in  a city,  we 
have  felt  the  effect  of  mere  grass  alone,  without  trees,  in  cooling 
the  air  in  hot  summer  days.  Narrow  streets,  with  high  houses,  are 
much  cooler  at  such  times  than  broad  streets  and  open  unshaded 
ground;  and  the  first  feeling  in  leaving  a city  office  and  riding 
across  the  bare  suburbs  that  usually  intervene  between  the  busi- 
ness part  of  a city  and  its  pleasant  tree-embowered  residences, 
is,  that  the  city  street  is  the  most  comfortable  place.  But  when 
we  reach  a grass-covered  field  a trifle  less  dryness  in  the  air  is  per- 
ceptible ; and  when  the  shadows  of  trees  are  reached,  there  will  be 
a difference  of  several  degrees  between  the  air  under  them  and 
that  in  the  open  highway ; and  not  merely  a difference  of  tem- 
perature as  indicated  by  the  thermometer,  but  also  an  increased 
moisture  that  gives  the  sensation  of  a greater  difference  than  the 
thermometer  measures. 


CHAPTER  II. 


DESCRIPTIONS  AND  ORDER  OF  ARRANGEMENT. 

IN  the  following  descriptions  little  attention  will  be  paid  to  the 
uses  of  trees  in  the  arts,  except  only  their  pleasant  usefulness 
as  food  for  eyes  that  hunger  for  all  forms  of  natural  beauty. 
Enjoyment  of  trees,  like  enjoyment  of  sunlight,  moonlight, 
and  flowers,  is  not  to  be  measured  by  money  values,  nor  to  be 
jostled  by  statistics  of  the  worth  of  timber  to  the  artisan,  or  of 
shade  for  the  farmer’s  stock.  Yet  whoever  loves  trees  will  find 
language  inadequate  to  describe  their  expressions,  or  even  some  of 
their  most  common  peculiarities,  though  they  be  ever  so  obvious  to 
the  admiring  eye.  We  would  gladly  be  able  to  furnish  engravings 
of  every  tree  and  shrub  described  ; but  to  do  this  requires  the  com- 
mand of  artists  whose  work  would  involve  the  expenditure  of  a 
small  fortune.  Few  persons  are  aware  of  the  skill  and  care  required 
to  make  a finished  drawing  on  wood  of  even  a single  shrub  or  tree. 
We  do  not  mean  by  a shrub  or  tree  such  a generic  shrub  or  tree  as 
any  good  sketcher  may  easily  represent,  but  a speaking  portrait  of 
some  beautiful  specimen,  with  its  animated  form,  its  sunny  expres- 
sion, and  its  shadowy  dimples  ; with  its  drapery  of  peculiar  leaves, 
and  all  its  airy  graces.  Artists  who  can  thus  faithfully  portray 
them  are  not  easily  found,  or,  if  found,  are  usually  engaged  in 
larger  and  more  profitable  fields  of  art. 

In  reading  descriptions  of  trees  and  shrubs,  the  reader  must  bear 
in  mind  the  great  variety  of  wants  and  tastes  to  be  provided  for. 
Persons  who  are  enthusiasts  for  novelties  desire  to  learn  as  much 
as  possible  of  the  appearance  and  habits  of  the  latest  acquisitions ; 
while  a larger  class  of  persons,  who  need  no  great  number  or 
variety  of  shrubs  or  trees,  are  not  less  exigent  to  have  pretty  full 
information  of  just  those  things  which  they  do  happen  to  grow  or  to 
want.  It  is  therefore  necessary  to  give  as  full  descriptions  of  new 
things  as  of  old  ones  of  greater  value ; and  to  mention,  at  least, 
many  trees  and  shrubs  which  are  neither  rare  nor  very  valuable,  but 


300 


DESCRIPTIONS  AND 


are  often  seen  and  therefore  referred  to.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
chapter  on  Shrubs,  pages  455  to  459,  are  some  remarks  on  the  con- 
siderations which  influence  a choice  of  shrubs  (some  of  which  apply 
equally  to  trees),  to  which  the  reader’s  attention  is  invited. 

Order  of  Arrangement. — It  is  extremely  difficult  to  follow 
any  system  for  the  classification  of  trees  and  shrubs  that  will 
greatly  facilitate  the  reader  in  finding  readily  what  he  wishes  to 
read  of,  or  that  will  save  him  constant  references  to  an  index. 
Botanical  classifications,  when  thoroughly  made,  require  quite  too 
much  familiarity  with  botany  to  give  them  any  value  to  the  mass 
of  readers  who  know  only  the  a,  b,  c’s  of  the  science ; yet  they 
must,  after  all,  be  the  ground-work  of  the  most  convenient  arrange- 
ment for  descriptions.  Though  the  same  botanical  family — often 
the  same  species — has  plants  of  every  variety  of  size,  from  ground- 
lings to  lofty  trees,  which  differ  from  each  other  in  their  larger 
characteristics  as  much  as  from  some  members  of  other  families 
with  which  they  have  little  botanical  connection,  yet,  in  general , 
it  will  be  found  that  groupmg  by  botanical  relationship  brings  together 
those  which  resemble  each  other  in  the  greatest  number  of  particulars. 

To  classify  trees  and  shrubs  by  their  sizes,  would  separate 
family  groups,  and  scatter  them  promiscuously  among  each  other, 
while  in  all  respects  but  size,  their  similarity  of  traits  make  it  most 
easy  to  describe  them  by  families.  Take  the  oaks,  for  instance. 
The  different  species  are  numbered  by  hundreds,  all  having  some 
marks  of  consanguinity  in  their  general  appearance,  but  quite 
diverse  in  forms  and  sizes.  The  immense  variety  of  species  of  the 
first  differ  still  more  among  themselves  ; — varying  in  size  from  lofty 
trees  to  pigmy  shrubs.  If  we  class  them  with  evergreen  trees 
according  to  their  varying  sizes,  they  would  become  sadly  mixed 
among  the  pines,  junipers,  arbor- vitaes,  yews,  and  a score  of  newer 
evergreen  families.  If  classified  by  forms  alone,  the  same  confusion 
would  arise.  It  is  best  therefore  to  keep  botanical  family  groups 
together.  All  oaks,  for  example,  large  and  small,  are  described 
consecutively  under  the  head  of  The  Oak  ; and  as  most  of  them 
are  trees,  they  are  described  under  the  general  head  of  Deciduous 
Trees  ; though  there  are  varieties  which  are  really  shrubs  only. 


ORDER  OF  ARRANGEMENT. 


301 


The  lilac  family,  on  the  other  hand,  being  in  general  of  a shrubby 
growth,  that  is,  having  several  stems  springing  from  the  base  of  the 
trunk  to  form  a top,  will  all  be  described  under  the  general  head  of 
Shrubs,  although  some  of  them  assume  a tree-like  character. 
Many  of  the  smaller  species  of  evergreens,  like  the  arbor-vitaes, 
tree-box,  junipers,  and  yews,  are  of  shrubby,  rather  than  tree-like 
appearance ; but  as  they  finally  tend  to  make  a single  stem,  they 
have  by  long  custom  been  classed  with  trees,  though  some  of  their 
smaller  varieties  are  quite  diminutive  by  the  side  of  common  garden 
shrubs. 

It  will  be  seen  by  these  examples  that  among  descriptions  of 
trees  are  included  many  of  the  smallest  materials  that  enter  into  the 
composition  of  shrubberies  ; and  among  the  descriptions  of  shrubs 
will  be  many  quite  tree-like  species  and  varieties  of  abnormal  vigor, 
which,  if  classed  by  their  own  characteristics  rather  than  of  the 
family  to  which  they  belong,  would  be  described  among  trees.  A 
copious  table  of  contents  giving  both  the  popular  and  the  botanical 
names  for  all  trees  and  shrubs  described,  facilitates  better  than  any 
new  classification,  a reference  to  the  subject  sought.  We  shall, 
however,  in  an  appendix,  give  some  tabular  classifications  on  the 
basis  of  sizes  and  forms,  for  the  convenience  of  those  desiring  to 
make  selections,  who  can  by  this  means  compare  them  in  abbre- 
viation. 

We  shall  begin  our  descriptions  of  deciduous  trees  with  the  oak, 
and  follow  with  other  trees,  somewhat  in  the  order  of  their  size  and 
importance  in  the  common  estimation,  but  do  not  desire  the  reader 
to  infer  that  those  which  happen  to  be  described  towards  the  last, 
are  therefore  of  less  value  for  decorative  purposes  than  those  which 
precede  them. 

The  descriptions  will  be  made  in  four  classes,  as  follows : 
Deciduous  Trees. 

Deciduous  Shrubs. 

Evergreen  Trees  and  Shrubs. 

Vines  and  Creepers. 

Each  of  these  classes  will  be  the  subject  of  a chapter. 


CHAPTER  III. 


“A  little  of  thy  steadfastness, 

Rounded  with  leafy  gracefulness. 

Old  oak  give  me ; — 

That  the  world’s  blasts  may  round  me  blow, 

And  I yield  gently  to  and  fro, 

While  my  stout-hearted  trunk  below, 

And  firm -set  roots  unshaken  be.” 

Lowell. 


r ¥ >0  convey  by  words  alone  an  idea  of  the  grand  and 
varied  expressions  of  full-grown  oaks  would  be  a task 
1,  almost  as  difficult  as  to  impart  by  description  the 
awful  sense  of  sublimity  inspired  by  rolling  thunder. 
In  a country  where  the  oak  abounds  in  all  the  forests  it  might 
seem  that  it  would  be  sufficiently  familiar  to  most  persons  ; 
nevertheless,  it  is  a fact  that  not  more  than  one  A7nerican  out  of  a 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


303 


thousand  has  ever  seen  the  full  expansion  of  a white  oak  grown  to 
maturity  m open  ground ! Downing’s  excellent  description  of  the 
forest  monarch  is  so  apt  that  we  here  transcribe  it ; premising  that 
such  general  remarks  on  the  oak  usually  apply  to  the  white  oaks, 
which  at  maturity  are  the  noblest  of  all  the  species. 

“ As  an  ornamental  object  we  consider  the  oak  the  most  varied 
in  expression,  the  most  beautiful,  grand,  majestic,  and  picturesque 
of  all  deciduous  trees.  * * * When  young  its  fine  foliage 

(singularly  varied  in  many  of  our  native  species)  and  its  thrifty 
form  render  it  a beautiful  tree.  But  it  is  not  till  the  oak  has  at- 
tained considerable  size  that  it  displays  its  true  character,  and  only 
when  at  an  age  that  would  terminate  the  existence  of  most  other 
trees  that  it  exhibits  all  its  magnificence.  Then  its  deeply-fur- 
rowed trunk  is  covered  with  mosses ; its  huge  branches,  each  a 
tree,  spreading  horizontally  from  the  trunk  with  great  boldness,  its 
trunk  of  huge  dimension,  and  ‘its  high  top  bald  with  dry  antiquity’ — 
all  these,  its  true  characteristics,  stamp  the  oak,  as  Virgil  has  ex- 
pressed it  in  his  Georgies — 

* Jove’s  own  tree, 

That  holds  the  woods  in  awful  sovereignty.” 

While  oaks  which  have  already  attained  great  size  are  the 
noblest  environments  of  a home,  yet  for  some  reasons  they  are 
less  desirable  to  plant  in  small  grounds  than  many  other  trees 
which  grow  to  noble  size  and  beautiful  proportions  in  less  time, 
though  they  may  not  finally  develop  so  grandly.  The  finest  species 
of  the  oak  are  late  in  leaf,  and  of  slow  growth ; are  addicted  to 
holding  their  dry  dead  leaves  upon  the  branches  through  the  win- 
ter and  early  spring,  and  then  dropping  them  week  after  week  into 
the  fresh  grass  of  spring  lawns  just  when  we  want  them  brightest 
and  cleanest.  And  the  younger  and  thriftier  the  tree  the  greater 
its  tenacity  in  holding  the  old  leaves.  This  fault  is  principally 
confined  to  the  white  and  Turkey  oaks. 

It  will  surprise  most  Americans  to  know  the  great  number  of 
species  of  oak  that  are  indigenous  in  this  country,  and  in  their 
own  neighborhoods.  Loudon  in  his  Arboretum  Brittanicum  enu- 
merates about  two  hundred  species  and  varieties  of  oaks  known 


304  DECIDUOUS  TREES. 

thirty  years  ago.  Nearly  one-half  of  these  are  natives  of  our  con- 
tinent. In  the  following  descriptions  of  a part  of  them  we  shall 
endeavor  to  name  only  those  which  are  growing  wild  in  most 
neighborhoods,  and  are  therefore  likely  to  be  objects  of  study  to 
those  interested  in  trees ; and  those  foreign  sorts  which  are  intrin- 
sically beautiful,  and  known  to  be  hardy,  or  nearly  so. 

There  being  a great  variety  of  oaks,  we  hope  to  facilitate  a 
reference  to  them  by  their  classification  into  native  and  foreign 
oaks,  and  subdividing  the  native  oaks  into  groups,  as  follows : — 

I.  The  White  Oak  Group  ; embracing  those  trees  having  lobed 
leaves  with  rounded  edges  and  light-colored  scaly  bark.  Leaves 
dying  an  ashy  or  violet  brown. 

II.  The  Chestnut  Oak  Group  ; leaves  toothed,  with  rounded 
edges,  dying  a dirty  white  or  yellow  color.  Bark  resembling  that 
of  the  chestnut  tree. 

III.  The  Red  Oak  group ; having  deeply-lobed  and  sharp- 
pointed  leaves,  which  turn  to  a deep  red,  scarlet  or  purple.  Bark 
smooth  when  young,  and  never  deeply  furrowed.  Cup  large  in 
proportion  to  the  acorn. 

IV.  The  Black  Oak  Group ; leaves  obtusely  lobed,  and  gen- 
erally with  points.  Bark  quite  dark,  and  generally  much  broken 
by  furrows. 

V.  Willow  Oaks ; leaves  entire,  narrow  and  small.  Sub-ever- 
green. General  appearance  of  trees  when  without  leaves,  like  the 
black  oak. 


The  White  Oak  Group. 

The  White  Oak  (Quercus  alba). — This  is  the  grandest,  the 
most  common,  and  the  most  useful  of  our  northern  oaks.  Al- 
though indigenous,  it  is  almost  identical  with  the  British  oak 
Q.  pedunculata  and  Q.  sessiflora.  Though  we  have  no  such  aged 
and  immense  trees  as  can  be  found  of  those  varieties  in  Britain, 
our  white  oaks  may  in  time  become  such  trees.  The  great  speci- 
mens which  may  have  been  found  growing  in  open  ground  in  the 
early  settlement  of  the  country  while  the  settlers  were  compara- 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


305 


THE  VALLEY-ROAD  OAK  OK  ORANGE,  N.  J. 


lively  poor,  were  sadly  valuable  for  ship-timber,  and  therefore 
sacrificed  on  the  altars  of  profit  and  utility.  Trees  grown  to  great 
size  in  the  forest  cannot  be  preserved  when  their  supporting  trees 
are  cut  from  around  them,  and  we  must  therefore  leave  to  future 
centuries  to  record  to  what  size  the  trees  now  growing  in  open 
ground  may  eventually  attain.  The  Wadsworth  oak,  near  Gen- 
esee, N.  Y.,  the  valley-road  oak  of  Orange,  N.  J.,  of  which  the 
above  engraving  is  a portrait,  and  a few  others  scattered  at  rare 
intervals  over  the  country,  are  trees  of  great  size,  large  enough  to 
show  that  age  only  is  wanting  to  give  them  the  colossal  dimen- 
sions of  trunk  and  branches  that  British  oaks  have  attained,  and, 
compared  with  which,  our  largest  are  mostly  but  moderate-sized 
trees.  The  Wadsworth  oak  probably  comes  nearer  to  the  great 
English  exemplars  than  any  other,  having  a trunk  thirty-six  feet  in 
circumference.  The  valley-road  oak,  just  mentioned,  has  an  unusually 


20 


306 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


small  trun'k  (about  five  feet  in  diameter)  for  so  great  a ramification 
of  branches,  which  cover  a space  upwards  of  ninety  feet  in  breadth ; 
but  there  is  a majestic  solidity  in  the  first  divergence  of  the  great 
branches  which  promises  in  time  to  make  this  an  oak  of  the  first 
magnitude,  though  it  is  too  rotund  to  be  one  of  great  picturesque- 
ness. Its  height  is  about  eighty  feet.  There  are  some  superb 
specimens  in  a pasture  field  near  the  grounds  of  Robert  Buist,  Esq., 
south  of  Philadelphia,  which  measure  nearly  one  hundred  feet 
across  the  spread  of  their  branches,  with  trunks  about  fifteen  feet 
in  circumference,  exhibiting  all  the  grand  characteristics  of  full 
grown  oaks.  Yet  these  dimensions  are  not  great  compared  with 
those  of  living  British  and  German  oaks,  some  of  which  range  from 
forty  to  sixty  feet  in  circumference  of  trunk ; others  from  one 
hundred  and  twenty  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  across  the 
greatest  extension  of  their  branches,  and  from  ninety  to  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  feet  in  height ! One  shades  an  area  large  enough 
for  two  thousand  four  hundred  men  to  stand  in  comfortably,  and 
another  drips  over  an  area  of  three  thousand  square  yards,  “ and 
would  have  afforded  shelter  to  a regiment  of  nearly  one  thousand 
horse  ! ” The  trunk  of  the  Cowthorpe  oak,  which  is  said  to  have 
been  the  prototype  of  the  Eddystone  light-house,  exceeds  in  size, 
where  it  meets  the  earth,  the  base  of  that  wonderful  structure. 
Many  halls  in  England,  of  considerable  size,  are  floored  with  single 
plank  from  trees  grown  on  the  estates  where  used.  Even  as 
timber  trees,  our  greatest  forest-grown  oaks  are  not  equal  to  their 
venerable  European  relatives.  The  author  has  had  a 
forest  oak  cut  from  which  ten  cords  of  wood  were  cut, 
which  is  about  two-thirds  the  cubic  contents  of  the  largest 
British  trees.  This  is  not  an  unusual  size  in  our  forests ; 
but,  alas,  very  unusual  in  trees  that  are  rooted,  and  low- 
spreading  enough  to  resist  the  gales  on  open  ground. 
Probably  the  best  exemplars  of  the  oak  family  in  our 
country  are  the  live  oaks  of  the  Gulf  States ; some  of 
which  have  been  preserved,  and  rival  in  the  horizontal 
extension  of  their  branches,  the  greatest  oaks  of 
England. 

The  accompanying  cut,  Fig.  92,  shows  the  form  of 


Fig.  92. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


307 


the  leaf  of  the  white  oak,  and  the  characteristic  form  of  the  tree 
when  quite  young — say  from  five  to  ten  years  after  planting  from 
the  nursery.  In  rich  and  cultivated  soil  the  growth  of  young  white 
oaks  is  about  two  feet  a year,  but  in  ordinary  soils  is  not  much 
more  than  half  this.  The  depth  and  culture  of  the  soil  makes  more 
difference  in  the  rate  of  growth  of  the  white  oak  than  of  the  sugar 
maple  or  chestnut ; and  adds  to  the  beauty  of  its  foliage  in  the  same 
proportion.  The  latter  trees  will  often  show  luxuriant  masses  of 
leaves  in  soils  too  poor  to  produce  more  than  a meagre  foliage  on 
the  oak.  When  grown  in  soils  that  force  a rapid  growth,  it  de- 
velops early  those  broad  masses  of  light  and  shadow  which,  in  its 
later  growth,  in  connection  with  the  grand  horizontal  projection 
and  picturesque  irregularity  of  its  branches,  makes  it  a favorite  tree 
of  most  landscape  painters.  The  leaves  change  in  autumn  to  a 
dull  brown  or  purple,  and  hang  on  thrifty  trees  till  they  are  fairly 
pushed  off  by  the  growth  of  new  leaves  the  following  May. 

The  Swamp  White  Oak.  Q.  tomentosa. — This 
common  native  oak,  one  of  the  most  valuable  for  its 
timber,  is  also  one  of  the  most  beautiful ; and  forms 
a connecting  link  between  the  chestnut  oaks  and  the 
white  oak.  In  form,  when  young,  it  closely  resembles 
the  burr  oak,  as  shown  in  Fig.  95  ; but  its  bark  is 
lighter  colored,  smoother,  and  more  scaly.  The 
branches  are  more  numerous  than  those  of  the  white 
oak,  especially  the  smaller  spray,  and  disposed  to  droop,  grace- 
fully as  the  tree  attains  a large  size.  The  leaves,  the  form  of 
which  is  shown  by  Fig.  93,  are  a shining  green  on  the  upper 
surface  and  whitish  on  the  under  side ; occasional  specimens  dis- 
playing leaves  so  white  when  turned  by  the  wind,  as  to  be 
observed  among  the  oaks  for  this  peculiarity.  Its  growth  is  a 
little  more  rapid  than  that  of  the  white  oak  or  burr  oak,  but  less 
rapid,  when  young,  than  the  red  and  black  oaks.  At  middle  age, 
however,  say  from  twenty  years  old  and  upwards,  no  oak  grows 
more  rapidly.  Fig.  94  is  a portrait  of  a beautiful  specimen 
growing  on  the  grounds  of  T.  Van  Amringe,  near  Mamaroneck, 
N.  Y.,  in  a meadow  near  the  waters  of  Long  Island  Sound.  The 


Fig.  93. 


308 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


Fig.  94  form  is  more  elm-like  than  the 

usual  character  of  the  tree,  but 
serves  to  illustrate  one  form  of 
this  species.  It  becomes  a tree  of 
the  largest  size,  little  inferior,  in 
rich  cool  soils,  to  the  white  oak. 
Though  named  swamp  white  oak, 
it  is  by  no  means  a swamp  tree, 
but  is  generally  found  in  such  rich 
moist  soils  as  the  whitewood  and 
the  magnolias  delight  in.  We  think 
it  the  best  of  all  the  first  family  of 
oaks  for  decorative  planting,  be- 
cause, in  a proper  soil,  it  will  give  the  quickest  return  in  beauty. 
It  is  reputed  the  finest  of  all  the  northern  oaks  for  straight  ship 
timber,  and  the  most  durable  in  the  ground. 


The  Burr  Oak  or  Over-Cup  White  Oak.  Quer- 
cus  macrocarpa. — The  accompanying  sketch  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  burr  oak  when  young ; with  age  it 
assumes  a spreading  form,  very  similar  to,  but  smaller, 
than  the  white  oak ; the  bark  is  darker  colored,  and 
rougher,  and  the  branches  have  a corky  and  ragged 
look.  The  leaf  is  the  largest  and  most  beautiful 
among  oak  leaves,  and  has  a form  so  peculiar  as  to 
attract  attention,  and  is  admirably  adapted  to  use  in 
architectural  designs.  It  has  been  used  with  beauti- 
ful effect  as  the  principal  leaf  in  wrought-stone  capi- 
tals. The  acorn  in  its  cup  is  also  a picturesque  little 
object,  and  has  given  the  name  of  burr  to  the  tree  on 
account  of  the  cup  being  rough,  shaggily  fringed,  and  almost 
enveloping  the  acorn  like  a burr.  Grown  in  open  rich  ground  it  is 
a decidedly  handsome  tree  in  summer,  but  rude  in  its  winter  ap- 
pearance. The  oak  openings  in  some  of  the  western  States  are 
largely  composed  of  this  variety.  Nearly  every  home  in  beautiful 
Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  is  surrounded  by  these  trees  “ to  the  manor 
born.”  When  thus  found  wild,  the  tree  needs  much  internal  prun- 


FiG.95. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


309 


ing  of  dead  branches  and  twigs,  and  rarely  receives  the  thorough 
draining  and  enrichment  of  the  soil  without  which  few  oaks  develop 
a high  order  of  foliage  beauty.  The  rate  of  growth  may  be  inferred 
from  the  growth  of  one  planted  by  Moses  Brown,  of  Germantown, 
Pa.,  a mere  whip  twenty  years  ago.  It  is  now  forty-five  feet  high, 
thirty  feet  in  diameter,  and  foliaged  to  the  ground  ; the  form  is 
distinctly  conical,  but  at  the  same  time  so  irregular  in  outline  as  to 
be  quite  picturesque. 

The  Post  Oak.  Q.  obtusiloba. — A dark-leaved 
spreading  oak  found  generally  near  the  sea.  It  is  not  Fig.  96. 
found  much  north  of  New  York.  Its  leaf  resembles 
the  black  oak  in  color  and  texture,  but  the  lobes  are 
rounded  instead  of  pointed.  The  branching  of  the 
tree  is  like  that  of  a rugged  white  oak.  There  is  a 
superb  specimen  growing  on  the  beach  at  Orienta,  in 
Mamaroneck,  N.  Y.,  near  the  residence  of  Thomas  S.  Shepherd, 
Esq.,  which  measures  upwards  of  ninety  feet  across  the  spread  of 
its  branches.  Usual  height  and  breadth  about  fifty  feet. 

The  Water  Oak,  Q.  aquatica , is  a dwarf  species,  native  of  New 
Jersey  and  Maryland,  which,  as  far  as  we  are  aware,  has  not  been 
thought  worthy  of  cultivation. 

The  Holly-leaved  or  Bear  Oak,  Q.  illicifolia , is  a native 
dwarf,  covering  vast  tracts  of  barren  mountain  slopes  or  table  lands 
where  no  other  tree  can  resist  the  winds.  In  such  situations  it 
grows  from  three  to  ten  feet  high.  Probably  of  no  value  for  home- 
grounds  ; but  one  of  those  sorts  that  ought  to  be  experimented  with 
to  try  the  effect  upon  it  of  a lowland  soil  and  climate. 

The  Water  White  Oak  of  the  South,  Q.  lyratar  is  a 
swamp  variety,  with  leaves  resembling  the  burr  oak,  but  smaller 
and  less  curiously  lobed.  It  grows  principally  in  the  southern 
States,  and  there  attains  a height  of  eighty  feet.  Michaux  states 
that  plants  of  it  grow  finely  in  a dry  soil  in  the  north  of 
France. 


310 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


The  OLive-ACORN  or  Mossy-cup  Oak.  Q.  oliveifornus. — This 
variety  is  known  by  some  under  the  name  of  mossy-cup  oak.  As 
the  burr  oak  has  a still  mossier  cup,  it  seems  to  us  that  the  botani- 
cal name  which  Loudon  has  anglicized,  and  which  is  given  above, 
is  more  appropriate.  Its  acorn  is  long,  like  the  olive,  and  nearly 
covered  by  its  cup,  but  not  so  completely  as  that  of  the  burr  oak. 
The  leaf  of  this  variety  is  like  a white  oak  leaf,  elongated,  and  more 
deeply  lobed.  Its  bark  is  like  that  of  the  white  oak,  but  the  growth 
is  more  slender,  and  the  branches  tend  to  droop  gracefully.  A 
native  of  the  northern  States. 


The  Chestnut  Oak  Group. 


Fig.  97. 


The  Chestnut  Oak.  Quercus prinus palustris. — 
A lofty  tree  found  principally  below  the  latitude  of 
420.  It  is  disposed  to  form  a straight  trunk,  with- 
out branches  to  a considerable  height,  and  then  to 
spread  into  a broad  tufted  head.  Fig.  97  shows  its 
form  of  leaf.  We  have  not  had  the  good  fortune  to 
see  any  trees  of  this  variety  grown  to  maturity  in 
open  ground,  and  cannot,  therefore,  speak  of  its  usual 
character  as  an  ornamental  tree , but  our  impression  is  that  for 
massy  and  glossy  foliage,  and  rapidity  of  growth,  it  is  surpassed 
by  few  of  the  oaks.  When  young  its  growth  is  long-limbed  like  the 
red  oaks.  At  all  times  a cleanly-looking  tree.  ! 


The  Rock  Chestnut  Oak.  Q.  prinus  monticola. — Down- 
ing considers  this  one  of  the  finest  of  northern  oaks,  and  states  that 
it  grows  on  the  most  barren  and  rocky  soils  ; thus  showing  its 
affinity  to  its  namesake  and  prototype,  the  chestnut  tree.  “ In  open 
elevated  situations  it  spreads  widely,  and  forms  a head  like  that  of 
an  apple  tree.”  The  leaves  are  broader  proportionally,  and  less 
acutely  pointed  than  those  of  the  preceding  variety,  by  which,  and 
its  lower  and  broader  form,  it  can  be  recognized.  We  consider 
this  the  finest  of  the  chestnut  oak  family,  and  for  small  grounds  the 
most  desirable  oak  to  plant,  being  more  opulent  in  leaves  than 
any  other. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


311 


The  Yellow  Chestnut  Oak.  Q.  p.  accuminata. — This  variety 
differs  little  from  the  Q.  prinns.  The  leaves  are  more  pointed, 
and  their  petioles  are  longer.  This  is  not  the  yellow  oak  of  western 
woodsmen,  which  is  a variety  of  the  red  oak,  Q.  rubra. 

The  Dwarf  Chestnut  Oak  or  Chinquapin.  Q.  prinus 
pumila. — “ A low  tree  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high.  Highly  orna- 
mental when  in  full  bloom,  and  most  prolific  in  acorns  when  but 
three  or  four  feet  high  ” (Loudon).  We  have  not  seen  it  in  rich 
open  ground. 


The  Red  Oak  Group. 

These  are  all  distinguished  by  a more  upright 
growth  of  their  branches  when  young  than  the  white 
oaks  , resembling  in  this  quality  the  chestnut  oaks. 

The  branches  generally  form  an  acute  angle  with  the 
main  stem,  and  grow  most  from  their  points,  so  that 
they  are  straighter  and  longer  in  one  direction  than 
those  of  the  white  oak  group,  and  consequently  form 
trees  more  open  and  straggling.  The  bark  is  quite 
smooth  and  lighter  colored  till  the  tree  attains  con- 
siderable size,  and  even  on  full  grown  trees  is  never 
deeply  furrowed.  Their  growth  is  more  rapid  than 
any  of  the  white  oak  group,  and  about  the  same 
as  that  of  the  chestnut  oaks.  The  above  cut  gives 
the  characteristic  form  of  young  trees,  and  the  usual  form  of  the 
leaf. 

\ 

The  Red  Oak.  Quercus  rubra. — A large  rapid-growing  tree 
common  in  all  parts  of  the  northern  States  and  Canada.  Its  early 
growth  is  upright  but  rather  straggling.  The  bark  is  smooth  until 
the  tree  is  about  twenty  years  old,  when  it  becomes  somewhat 
furrowed,  but  not  deeply,  like  that  of  the  black  oak.  The  branches 
are  not  numerous,  but  straight  and  smooth,  set  at  an  angle  of  about 
450  with  the  stem ; the  foliage  tending  to  their  extremities.  In 
color  the  foliage  varies  considerably.  On  the  coast  of  Maine  we 


Fig.  98. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


312 

observed  this  tree  growing  in  open  fields,  with  a broad  flat  head, 
and  a golden  green  tone  when  the  sunlight  was  upon  it  that  con- 
trasted beautifully  with  the  darker  evergreen  foliage  of  that  region. 
But  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Hudson,  and  at  the  west,  this  fine 
tone  is  not  common  on  the  red  oak,  nor  is  the  peculiarly  flat  top  so 
often  seen.  It  is  barely  possible  that  the  tree  we  have  seen  on  the 
coast  of  Maine  is  the  gray  oak,  Q.  ambigua , of  Michaux,  which  is 
a northern  oak  partaking  of  the  character  of  both  the  red  and  the 
scarlet  oaks.  But  we  have  had  no  means  of  ascertaining  the  cor- 
rectness of  this  surmise.  The  most  marked  trait  of  the  red  oak  as 
an  ornamental  tree  is  the  dull  crimson  or  purplish  red  color  of  its 
leaves  in  the  fall ; but  as  it  is  much  less  brilliant  than  the  follow- 
ing, and  in  no  respect  a finer  tree,  the  scarlet  oak  will  be  preferred. 

The  Scarlet  Oak.  Q.  coccinca. — This  differs  from  the  pre- 
ceding but  little  except  in  its  leaves,  which  are  more  deeply  lobed, 
more  sharply  pointed,  and  have  longer  petioles.  They  are  smooth 
and  shining  on  both  sides.  Their  autumn  color  is  a bright  scarlet 
or  yellowish  red,  of  uncommon  intensity,  and  at  that  season  it 
has  no  superior  among  trees.  It  is  rather  an  elegant  tree  at  all 
times,  and  one  of  the  cleanest  limbed  of  the  oaks  in  winter.  The 
tendency  of  its  foliage  to  the  extremities  of  the  branches  often 
gives  the  head  too  open  and  straggling  an  appearance,  but  this 
defect  can  be  obviated  with  good  effect  on  trees  from  twenty  to 
forty  feet  high  by  cutting  back  the  long  branches  a few  times.  It 
flourishes  in  any  good  soil,  moist  or  dry. 


The  Black  Oak  Group. 

The  Black  Oak,  Quercus  tinctoria,  becomes  a tree  of  the  largest 
size,  but  of  little  value  in  ornamental  grounds.  The  foliage  is  very 
dark,  and  though  glossy,  is  apt  to  be  scattered  about  on  the  long 
limbs,  forming  neither  rich  masses  nor  picturesque  outlines.  The 
whole  aspect  of  the  tree,  with  or  without  its  leaves,  is  sombre.  The 
foliage  comes  out  late,  and  falls  early.  It  grows  naturally  on  dry 
sandy  soils. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


313 


The  Spanish  Oak,  Q.falcata , is  a southern  oak  resembling  the 
black  oak  in  its  bark,  and  with  leaves  somewhat  like  those  of  the 
pin  oak  and  scarlet  oak. 


The  Black  Jack  Oak,  Q.  nigra , is  a dwarf  species  of  no  value 
for  decorative  planting. 


Fig  99. 


The  Marsh  or  Pin  Oak.  Q.  palustris. — It  has  been  prettily 
remarked  of  this  tree  that  it  is  a graceful  savage.  A 
thorny,  scraggy  tree,  armed  like  a hedge-hog  against 
approach,  when  growing  wild  in  wet  ground,  but  full 
of  grace  with  its  delicate  light  foliage  when  in  full  leaf 
in  open  ground.  A multitude  of  small  branches,  of 
great  hardness  of  fibre,  radiate  at  right  angles  from 
the  main  stem,  and  with  their  numerous  angular 
branchlets  and  thorn-like  spurs,  give  the  tree  the  ap- 
pearance, when  bare  of  leaves,  of  a prodigious  natural 
hedge-plant.  The  bark  is  extremely  hard,  and  darker 
colored  than  that  of  the  red  oak,  but  smooth  when 
young.  The  leaves,  the  form  of  which  is  shown  by 


Fig. 


99,  are  smaller  and  lighter  colored  than  most 


oaks.  When  grown  in  open  ground  the  lower  branches  droop  to 
the  ground,  and  the  light-green  of  its  fine-cut  foliage,  the  sharpness 
of  its  stratified  lights  and  shadows,  and  the  general  downward 
sweep  of  its  branches,  altogether  make  it  a pleasing  tree ; and,  in 
Loudon’s  opinion,  “ the  most  graceful  of  the  oaks.”  This,  however, 
is  no  great  compliment,  remembering  that  grace  is  not  a character- 
istic of  the  oak  family.  Our  cut  gives  the  usual  form  of  a young 
pin  oak,  but  does  not  indicate  sufficiently  the  drooping  habit  of 
the  lower  branches. 


Willow  Oak  Group. 

Willow  Oaks.  Quercus  Phellos. — These  are  seldom  seen  north 
of  Philadelphia.  There,  and  southward,  they  become  large  trees, 
whose  dark  bark  and  foliage  give  them  a sombre  appearance. 
Leaves  very  small,  lanceolate,  smooth  edged,  and  willow-like. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


314 


The  Laurel-leaved  Oak,  Q.  p.  laurifolia , is  similar  to  the 
foregoing,  but  with  larger  leaves.  Found  principally  in  the 
southern  States. 

The  Shingle  Oak,  Q.  imbricaria , is  a species  with  smooth- 
edged,  elliptic,  pointed,  glossy  leaves,  similar  in  form  to  the  leaf  of 
the  chionanthus.  It  is  a native  of  the  middle  States,  especially  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Alleghanies,  and  becomes  a tree  forty  to  fifty 
feet  in  height.  From  Michaux’  description  we  infer  that  it  would 
be  a desirable  oak  to  introduce  in  small  grounds. 

The  Live  Oak.  Q.  virens . — Unfortunately  this  magnificent 
evergreen  of  our  southern  coast  is  too  tender  to  flourish  far  north 
of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  is  a tree  of  medium  height  only,  but  of 
immense  and  grand  expansion  of  trunk  and  branches.  A writer 
in  Lippincott’s  Magazine  mentions  a specimen  on  the  Habershaw 
plantation  near'  Savannah,  Georgia,  which  has  an  extension  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  between  the  extremities  of  its  branches  ! A 
traveller  mentions  one  at  Goose  Creek,  near  Charleston,  S.  C.,  the 
trunk  of  which  measures  forty-five  feet  in  circumference  close  to  the 
ground,  eighteen  and  a half  feet  in  its  smallest  part,  with  a branch 
which  measured  twelve  and  a half  feet  in  girt ! It  is  one  of  the 
grandest  trees  of  the  continent,  as  well  as  the  most  valuable  of  all 
for  ship-timber. 


Foreign  Oaks. 

The  British  Oak.  Q.  pedunculata  and  Q.  sessiflora. — These 
varieties  of  the  white  oak  group  are  so  nearly  the  same  as  our 
white  oak,  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  describe  them  separately.  But 
some  odd  varieties  have  come  into  existence,  among  which  are  the 
following  : 

The  Moccas  Oak,  Q.  p.  pendula , is  a variety  of  the  British  oak, 
as  pendulous  as  the  weeping  willow  ; and  of  course  a great  curiosity. 
It  is  said  there  are  none  of  this  sort  in  this  country.  An  extraor- 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


315 


dinary  fact,  considering  that  full  grown  trees  of  it  seventy-five  feet 
high  exist  in  England,  and  that,  according  to  Loudon,  it  generally 
comes  true  from  seed.  If  grafts  can  be  procured,  they  may  be  put 
into  the  tops  of  our  common  white  oaks. 

The  Upright  Oak.  Q.  p.  fastigiata. — A tree  of  extremely 
fastigiate  habit,  the  most  so  of  any  of  the  oaks,  but  much  less 
slender  than  the  Lombardy  poplar,  with  which  it  is  sometimes  com- 
pared. Though  a native  of  the  Pyrenees,  it  is  hardy  at  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  and  makes  about  the  same  annual  growth  as  our  white  oak. 
The  leaves  and  branches  are  small  and  numerous. 

The  Mossy-cupped  Turkey  Oaks.  Q.  cerris . — The  variety  of 
what  are  called  Turkey  oaks  in  England  is  large,  and 
some  of  the  most  beautiful  specimens  of  oaks  grown 
during  this  century  are  of  one  or  another  variety  of 
this  species.  Fig.  ioo  illustrates  the  common  form  of 
the  young  tree,  and  the  leaf.  It  is  distinguished  from 
the  British  oak  (which  it  resembles  more  than  any 
other)  by  longer,  straighter,  and  more  upright  branches, 
and  more  rapid  growth.  Judging  by  the  specimens  to 
be  seen  in  this  country,  we  do  not  perceive  any  strik- 
ing peculiarity  or  beauty  that  should  cause  them  to 
be  preferred,  in  pleasure-grounds,  to  many  of  our 
native  oaks. 

There  is  an  English  variety,  the  Q.  c.  pendula , the  branches  of 
which  “ not  only  droop  to  the  ground,  but,  after  touching  it,  creep 
along  the  surface  to  some  distance  like  those  of  the  sophora  japonica 
pendula  ” (Loudon).  It  grows  to  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  height. 

There  are  also  variegated-leaved  varieties,  but  of  little  value. 

The  Japan  Purple  Oak.  Q.  alba  atro-purpurea  japonica. — Our 
attention  has  recently  been  called  to  this  new  tree  from  Japan.  It 
promises  to  be  the  most  brilliant  member  of  the  oak  family.  In 
the  nursery  of  Parsons  & Co.,  at  Flushing,  L.  I.,  the  little  trees  had 
as  bright  and  clear  a purple  tint  in  September  (1867),  as  the  purple 
beech  shows  in  May  and  June.  It  was  considered  quite  hardy. 


Fig.  ioo. 


316 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


Such  trees  as  this  purple  oak,  the  Moccas  oak,  and  the  weeping 
Turkey  oak,  can  readily  be  grafted  on  our  white  oaks,  so  that  per- 
sons having  young  and  thrifty  trees  may,  with  care  and  persistency 
through  a term  of  years,  secure  samples  of  these  curious  oaks,  and 
produce  novel  effects  of  foliage  and  form  on  the  same  tree.  The 
work  must,  however,  be  done  year  by  year,  so  as  not  to  give  the 
stock  a maimed  expression,  or  injure  its  health. 

The  Holly  Oaks.  Quercus  virens. — These  are  mostly  ever- 
greens, natives  of  Southern  Europe  and  Asia,  near  the  sea.  They 
will  not  bear  our  winters,  though  they  can  with  care  be  grown  in 
some  parts  of  England. 


THE  ELM.  Ulmus. 

The  Elm  family  embraces  many  species,  mostly  large  trees. 
Our  indigenous  weeping  elm,  Ulmus  aiuericana , is,  however,  so  much 
better  known  in  this  country  than  any  other,  and  has  so  long  borne, 
and  deserved,  the  crown  and  title  of  “queen  of  American  trees,” 
that  it  is  always  the  species  uppermost  in  the  mind  when  Americans 
speak  of  the  elm.  Yet  in  England  and  Continental  Europe  the 
Dutch,  English,  and  Scotch  elms  have  not  been  supplanted  by  it. 

The  American  Weeping  or  White  Elm.  Ufaius  amcricana. — 
A full  grown  luxuriant  weeping  elm  is  certainly  the  queen,  as  the 
oak  is  the  king,  among  deciduous  trees.  Its  grace  is  feminine.  Its 
outstretching  arms  droop  with  motherly  grace  to  shelter  and  caress 
with  their  mantle  of  verdure  the  human  broods  that  nestle  under 
them.  It  is  also  a grand  tree,  well  characterized  by  Dr.  Holmes  as 

“A  forest  waving  on  a single  stem.*’ 

Few  trees  are  more  loftv  in  their  native  woods,  and  none  spread 
with  more  luxuriant  amplitude  in  rich  alluvial  fields.  The  roots 
around  the  base  of  the  trunk  rise  from  the  ground  with  peculiar 
picturesqueness  to  brace  it  against  the  winds.  Its  long  branches, 
curving  symmetrically  upwards  and  outwards,  describe  the  segment 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


317 


of  a circle  till  they  bend  at  maturity  almost  to  the  earth  with  their 
verdant  tips. 

That  master  of  happy  characterization,  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  in  “ Norwood,”  makes  the  following  beautiful  allusions  to 
the  weeping  elm : — “ No  town  can  fail  of  beauty,  though  its  walks 
were  gutters,  and  its  houses  hovels,  if  venerable  trees  make  mag- 
nificent colonnades  along  its  streets.  Of  all  trees,  no  other  unites, 
in  the  same  degree,  majesty  and  beauty,  grace  and  grandeur,  as  the 
American  elm.  Known  from  north  to  south,  through  a range  of 
twelve  hundred  miles,  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  head-waters 
which  flow  into  the  western  side  of  the  Mississippi,  yet,  in  New 
England  the  elm  is  found  in  its  greatest  size  and  beauty,  fully  justi- 
fying Michaux’  commendation  of  it  to  European  cultivators,  as  ‘ the 
most  magnificent  vegetable  of  the  temperate  zone.’  ” * * * 

“ Their  towering  trunks,  whose  massiveness  well  symbolizes  Puri- 
tan inflexibility ; their  overarching  tops,  facile,  wind-borne  and 
elastic,  hint  the  endless  plasticity  and  adaptableness  of  this  people ; 
and  both  united,  form  a type  of  all  true  manhood,  broad  at  the 
root,  firm  in  the  trunk,  and  yielding  at  the  top,  yet  returning  again 
after  every  impulse  into  position  and  symmetry.  What  if  they 
were  sheered  away  from  village  and  farm-house  ? Who  would 
know  the  land?  Farm-houses  that  now  stop  the  tourist  and  the 
artist,  would  stand  forth  bare  and  homely ; and  villages  that 
coquette  with  beauty  through  green  leaves,  would  shine  white  and 
ghastly  as  sepulchres.  Let  any  one  imagine  Conway  or  Lancaster 
without  elms  ! Or  Hadley,  Hatfield,  Northampton,  or  Springfield  ! 
New  Haven  without  elms  would  be  like  Jupiter  without  a beard,  or 
a lion  shaved  of  his  mane  ! ” 

The  weeping  elm  grows  with  great  rapidity,  and  where  uninjured 
by  insects,  or  lack  of  moisture  in  the  soil,  is  picturesque  and  beau- 
tiful in  every  stage  of  its  growth.  No  other  tree,  when  young, 
throws  out  its  arms  so  free  and  wild,  and  assumes  so  great  a variety 
of  forms.  Figs.  63  and  76  are  two  sketches  from  nature  of 
young  weeping  elms,  illustrative  of  this  characteristic.  Very  fine 
specimens  of  this  elm  may  be  seen  at  the  west,  which  have  attained 
a majestic  height  in  the  forest,  and  then  had  their  environing  trees 
gradually  cut  from  around  them.  At  first  they  are  little  more  than 


318 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


columnar  stems,  with  a parasol-like  tuft  of  foliage  at  the  top ; but 
as  they  are  gradually  exposed  on  all  sides  to  the  sun  the  head 
widens  rapidly,  the  tall  trunk  covers  itself  from  root  to  branch  with 
a picturesque  small  spray  peculiar  to  this  elm,  the  outer  branches 
of  the  top  begin  to  droop  and  fall  like  spray  from  a fountain,  until 
the  whole  tree  assumes  a loftier  grace  than  belongs  to  its  lower 
and  broader-crowned  sisters  of  the  eastern  valleys.  Fig.  ioi  is  a 
sketch  of  a young  forest  elm  that  is  beginning  to  develop  the 
changes  just  described.  Unfortunately,  however,  such  forest- 
grown  trees,  if  more  than  forty  or  fifty 
years  old,  usually  fall  victims  of  the  first 
summer  tornado  that  finds  them  in  its 
track. 

For  the  formation  of  wide  avenues  the 
elm,  in  congenial  soil,  has  no  equal  among 
trees.  But  it  should  never  be  planted  in 
narrow  streets,  nor  nearer  than  forty  feet 
asunder  in  wide  ones.  Its  great  size  and 
breadth  of  head  should  also  cause  it  to  be 
sparingly  planted  in  or  near  small  grounds, 
if  a variety  of  shrubs  or  small  trees  are 
desired. 

The  roots  of  the  white  elm  feed  quite 
near  the  surface,  so  that  surface  manuring 
in  autumn  is  a wonderful  stimulant  to  its 
growth.  Large  street  trees  are  often  se- 
riously injured  in  old  villages  by  the  gradual  accumulation  of  gravel 
and  broken  stone  incident  to  annual  road  improvements,  until  the 
feeding  roots  are  so  covered  that  they  cease  to  have  any  rich 
surface  to  feed  in.  In  other  places  noble  old  trees  are  being 
literally  starved  to  death,  while  the  good  people  who  walk  under 
them  are'  wondering  why  their  elms  do  not  look  as  well  as  for- 
merly. Streets  much  travelled  are  continually  enriched  by  drop- 
pings, and  where  the  soil  is  not  covered  by  water-proof  pavements, 
there  is  little  danger  of  trees  in  such  streets  suffering  from  this 
cause.  But  many  instances  have  come  under  our  observation  of 
elms  in  villages  and  cities  that  languish  for  want  of  fresh  food  and 


Fig.  ioi. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


319 


good  soil.  Half  the  diseases  that  now  attack  old  elm.  trees  are  the 
result  of  the  weakened  vigor  caused  by  lack  of  good  fresh  soil  or 
manure  on  their  roots,  which  should  be  put  on  over  the  whole  area 
that  is  covered  by  the  branches.  A moist  surface  soil  is  most  con- 
genial to  the  elm. 

The  Red  or  Slippery  Elm.  Ulmus  rubra , or  fulva. — This 
native  elm  is  so  overshadowed  by  the  superior  size  and  beauty  of 
the  weeping  elm,  that  it  is  rarely  planted  or  seen  in  open  ground. 
It  is  a tree  of  a more  straggling  open  head,  somewhat  similar  in 
form,  with  out-arching  branches,  but  with  much  larger  and  sparser 
leaves,  and  without  the  pendulous  spray  of  the  former.  It  be- 
comes a tree  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  high,  or  about  two-thirds  the 
size  of  the  white  elm.  It  is  of  no  value  for  small  grounds. 

The  Wahoo  Elm.  Ulmus  alata. — This  species  may  be  known 

by  its  two  longitudinal  ridges  of  cork-like  bark  on  all  its  twigs  and 
branches,  though  the  white  elm  and  the  Dutch  elm  occasionally 
have  varieties  that  closely  resemble  it  in  this  respect.  It  makes 
a pleasing  tree  of  medium  size,  and  grows  rapidly.  Found  wild  in 
Virginia  and  southward. 

The  foregoing  are  American  species. 

The  following  are  among  the  most  valued  of  the  great  variety 
of  European  elms  grown  in  England.  Loudon  remarks  that  “ the 
elm  is  remarkable  for  the  aptitude  of  the  different  species  to  vary 
from  seed ; so  much  so  that  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  say,  in  this 
genus,  which  are  species  and  which  are  varieties,  or  even  to  what 
species  the  varieties  belong.  To  us  it  appears  that  there  are  only 
two  sorts  which  are  truly  distinct,  viz : U.  campestris  (the  English 
elm)  and  U 7Jiontana  (the  Scotch  elm).”  He  classes  the  Ameri- 
can elms  as  of  the  same  species  with  the  Scotch,  U.  i?iontana. 

The  English  Elm.  Ulmus  campestris. — The  finest  trees  of 
this  species  we  have  seen  in  this  country  are  on  the  Boston  Com- 
mon, where,  in  grandeur  of  branching,  majesty  of  trunk,  and 
healthfulness  of  foliage,  they  are  certainly  superior  to  the  white 
elms  growing  side  by  side  with  them.  But  it  must  be  remembered 


320 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


Fig.  102. 


that  our  weeping  elm  does  not  develop 
its  greatest  beauty  except  in  alluvial 
soils,  and  that  it  suffers  everywhere  near 
the  seacoast  from  the  persistent  attacks 
of  leaf-worms  and  borers. 

The  English  elm  differs  materially 
from  our  weeping  elm  in  leaves,  trunk, 
and  manner  of  branching.  The  leaves 
are  smaller,  more  regularly  and  sharply 
cut,  and  darker ; and  the  bark  is  also 
much  darker  colored.  In  the  ramification  of 
the  branches  it  is  peculiar.  The  first  diver- 
gence usually  occurs  at  ten  to  twelve  feet  above 
the  ground ; and  these  branches,  instead  of 
ascending  and  forming  a sharp  angle  with  the  trunk,  like  those 
of  our  weeping  elm,  strike  out  unevenly,  nearly  at  right  angles  with 
the  trunk,  and  with  age  maintain  their  superior  importance  to  the 
branches  that  diverge  above  them,  notwithstanding  the  tree  usually 
maintains  a central  trunk  to  a considerable  height.  This  projection 
of  massive  low-growing  branches,  as  shown  in  the  accompanying 
sketch,  Fig.  102,  gives  the  English  elm  a much  grander  expression 
when  seen  from  below  than  our  white  elm,  the  branches  of  which 
are  apt  to  diverge  with  such  even-sized  multiplicity  that  none  of 
them  are  of  great  size ; and  one  is  not  fully  impressed  with  their 
grandeur  until  standing  at  such  a distance  from  the  tree  that  the 
great  verdant  arc  which  the  branches  describe  can  be  seen  as  a 


whole.  This  is  not  always  the  case,  as  many  old  white  elms  ramify 
into  a few  great  branches ; but  if  one  will  find  contiguous  avenues 
of  the  English  and  the  American  elm,  the  different  effect  upon  the 
eye  of  the  forms  above  alluded  to,  will  be  found  very  striking. 
Another  peculiarity  that  increases  this  difference  of  expression  is 
the  tufty  habit  of  the  English  elm,  which  forms  little  masses  of 
leaves  at  the  knots  and  intersections  of  old  branches,  adding  by 
the  contrast  of  their  young  twigs  and  verdure  a greater  apparent 
massiveness  to  the  branches  they  grow  upon.  Though  this  elm 
is  marked  by  a greater  weight  of  lower  branches  than  our  native 
favorite,  it  does  not  usually  spread  so  broadly.  After  insuring  the 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


321 


strength  of  its  lower  arms,  the  trunk  keeps  on  upwards,  and  forms 
a squarish  oblong  head. 

In  size  the  English  elm,  as  recorded  by  reliable  authorities, 
exceeds  any  specimens  of  the  American  elms  we  have  heard  of. 
In  Warwickshire,  at  Combe  Abbey,  thirty  years  ago,  stood  a tree 
two  hundred  years  old,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  seventy- 
four  feet  across  its  branches,  with  a trunk  nine  and  a half  feet  in 
diameter!  In  Gloucestershire,  at  Doddington  Park,  was  one  ninety 
feet  high,  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  feet  across  its  branches,  and 
seven  feet  in  diameter  of  trunk.  In  fact  a height  and  breadth  of 
from  ninety  to  one  hundred  feet  is  a common  thing  in  the  parks 
of  England,  and  there  are  many  specimens  from  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  height. 

The  growth  of  the  tree  is  quite  rapid,  Fig*  10  3- 

fully  equal  in  that  respect  to  our  own  white 
elm ; but  its  growth  is  so  much  more  com- 
pact, filling-in  as  it  rises,  instead  of  sending 
out  the  long,  curved,  and  rambling  annual 
shoots  peculiar  to  the  latter,  that  it  has  not 
the  appearance  of  growing  so  rapidly.  The 
comparative  growth  of  the  English,  the 
Scotch,  and  the  American  elms,  may  be 
seen  to  great  advantage  near  the  Mall  in 
the  New  York  Central  Park.  Fig.  103  illus- 
trates the  form  and  style  of  an  English  elm, 
fifteen  years  after  planting. 

As  an  ornamental  tree  the  English  elm  partakes  of  the  charac- 
ter of  the  oaks  in  its  branching ; but  in  the  massing  of  its  foliage, 
and  the  play  of  lights  and  shadows  on  its  head,  it  occupies  a place 
midway  between  the  dense-leaved  and  sharply-stratified  character 
of  the  beech,  and  the  nobler  breaks  of  the  oak  and  chestnut.  Gil- 
pin, in  analyzing  its  picturesque  qualities,  observes  : — “ As  a pic- 
turesque tree  the  elm  has  not  so  distinct  a character  as  the  oak  or 
ash.  It  partakes  so  much  of  the  oak,  that  when  it  is  rough  and 
old  it  may  easily,  at  a little  distance,  be  mistaken  for  one.  * * * 

This  defect,  however,  appears  chiefly  in  the  skeleton  of  the  elm ; 
in  full  foliage  its  character  is  more  marked.  No  tree  is  better 


21 


322 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


adapted  to  receive  grand  masses  of  light.  In  this  respect  it  is 
superior  to  both  the  oak  and  the  ash.  Nor  is  its  foliage,  shadow- 
ing as  it  is,  of  the  heavy  kind.  Its  leaves  are  small,  and  this  gives 
it  a natural  lightness ; it  commonly  hangs  loosely,  and  is,  in 
general,  very  picturesque.  The  elm  naturally  grows  upright,  and 
when  it  meets  with  a soil  it  loves,  rises  higher  than  the  generality 
of  trees,  and,  after  it  has  assumed  the  dignity  and  hoary  roughness 
of  age,  few  of  its  forest  brethren  excel  it  in  grandeur  and  beauty.” 
The  blossoms  of  this  species  are  of  a dark  crimson  color,  and  on 
old  trees  are  sometimes  so  abundant  as  to  enrich  the  just-budding 
verdure  of  the  tree  with  peculiar  beauty. 

The  English  Cork-bark  Elm.  Ulmus  suberosa. — This  is  a 
marked  variety  of  the  U campestris,  with  its  young  branches  very 
corky.  The  leaves  are  rough  on  both  sides,  more  rounded,  and 
two  or  three  times  as  large  as  the  normal  size  of  the  leaves  of  that 
species,  and  in  this  respect  resembles  our  red  elm. 

The  Dutch  Cork- bark  Elm.  Ulmus  major. — This  variety 
has  still  larger  leaves  and  more  corky  bark  than  the  preceding, 
and  a more  spreading  habit  of  growth.  It  is  not  considered  so 
healthy  as  the  English  elm. 

The  Purple-leaved  Elm.  Ulmus  purpurea. — This  is  a com- 
pact, upright  grower,  with  quite  small  leaves,  of  a dull  purple  color. 
A variety  of  the  English  elm. 

The  Scotch  or  Wych  Elm.  Ulmus  montana. — This  resem- 
bles more  our  great  American  elm  than  any  other  British  species,  but 
it  is  still  very  distinct  in  many  respects.  Singularly  enough,  this  tree 
so  hardy,  vigorous,  and  beautiful,  and  so  long  valued  in  Scotland 
and  England,  is  yet  but  little  known  in  this  country.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  valuable  of  trees  for  avenues ; beautiful  in  any  situation,  and 
picturesque  from  its  youth  upwards.  Loudon  says  of  it : “ The 
trunk  is  so  bold  and  picturesque  in  form;  the  limbs  and  branches 
are  so  free  and  graceful  in  their  growth ; and  the  foliage  is  so  rich 
without  being  clumpy  as  a whole,  and  the  head  is  so  finely  massed 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


323 


and  yet  so  well  broken,  as  to  render  it  one  of  the  noblest  of  park 
trees ; and  when  it  grows  wild  amid  the  rocky  scenery  of  its 
native  Scotland,  there  is  no  tree  which  produces  so  great  or  so 
pleasing  a variety  of  character.”  From  the  little  we  have  seen 
of  the  Scotch  elm  we  are  inclined  to  believe  it  to  be  the  most 
interesting  foreign  variety  of  the  elm.  The  young  trees  of  this 
variety  in  the  New  York  Central  Park  are  certainly  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  the  elms  there. 

The  Scotch  elm  forms  a much  more  spreading  tree  than  the 
English,  has  a squarer  form  than  our  white  elm,  and  fills  in  more 
massily  with  foliage.  Without  being  quite  so  picturesque  in  out- 
line, in  its  earlier  growth,  it  certainly  displays  finer  contrasts,  and 
larger  masses  of  light  and  shadow.  The  leaves  strongly  resemble 
those  of  our  white  elm.  There  are  some  remarkably  pendulous 
varieties,  but  the  tree  does  not  ordinarily  show  this  quality  when 
young.  With  age,  however,  it  becomes  a characteristic,  but  not 
to  such  a degree  as  m our  native  weeping  elm ; and  the  more 
rugged  development  of  its  branches  adds  to  the  apparent  difference. 
In  dimensions  it  grows  to  equal  the  largest  oaks.  The  varieties  of 
the  Scotch  elm  are  numerous,  and  vary  in  their  character  to  an 
extraordinary  degree ; some  of  them  being  as  pendulous  as  a weep- 
ing beech,  and  others  fastigiate  and  cup-like.  The  following  are 
the  most  note-worthy : 

The  Weeping  Scotch  Elm.  U.  m.  pendula. — This  is  the  most 

erratic  and  interesting  variety,  and  takes  the  same  place  among 
elms  that  the  weeping  beech  does  in  its  family.  It  assumes  a great 
variety  of  forms  ; sometimes  branching  in  a fan-like  manner,  some- 
times marked  by  a persistent  horizontal  tendency,  and  occasionally 
shooting  perpendicularly  downwards  ; but  always  uneven  or  one- 
sided, and  picturesque.  Like  the  weeping  beech,  in  the  first  few  years 
of  its  growth  it  is  sometimes  picturesque  to  deformity ; but  it  soon 
outgrows  this  stage  of  its  eccentricity.  The  foliage  is  dark  and 
abundant,  and  it  becomes  a large  tree. 

The  Exeter  or  Ford’s  Elm.  U m.  fastigiata. — Noted  for  its 
very  fastigiate  growth  and  cup-like  form.  The  leaves  are  twisted, 


324 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


enfolding  one  side  of  the  shoots,  very  harsh  and  dark-colored, 
and  retain  their  color  longer  than  most  others.  It  is  a peculiar 
looking  tree,  of  smaller  size,  as  well  as  much  more  compact  growth, 
than  the  species.  Probably  more  curious  than  pleasing. 

The  Smooth-leaved  Wych  Elm.  U.  m.  glabra. — This  is  a 
variety  resembling  our  white  elm  in  form,  but  not  so  broadly  spread- 
ing, and  with  smoother  and  smaller  leaves.  Of  no  superior  value 
except  to  complete  collections  of  elms.  What  are  known  as  the 
Huntington,  Downton,  and  Chichester  elms,  each  of  some  English 
local  fame,  are  varieties  of  this  sort,  and  would  not  probably  have 
any  sufficiently  marked  character  to  recommend  them  to  us. 

The  Scamston  Elm.  Ulmus  m.  glabra. — This  is  a compara- 
tively new  variety  of  weeping  elm,  and  differs  materially  from  the 
pendulous  Scotch  elm,  before  described  ; and  from  all  the  pendu- 
lous forms  of  our  native  elms.  The  characteristic  that  distinguishes 
it  is  a compact  overlaying  of  its  branches  upon  each  other,  and 
their  uniform  downward  tendency.  Instead  of  a picturesque  out- 
line, it  therefore  forms  a broad  low  top,  quite  similar,  but  on  a 
much  larger  scale,  to  that  of  the  Kilmarnock  wallow.  It  is  of  rank 
growth,  often  making  shoots  of  a zigzag  character  from  six  to  ten 
feet  long  in  a season.  The  leaves  are  very  large,  irregular,  dark, 
and  glossy,  and  clothe  the  branches  superbly.  Sargent,  in  his  Sup- 
plement to  Downing’s  Landscape  Gardening,  thus  alludes  to  it : 
“ When  grafted  as  it  should  be,  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high,  the 
branches  make  a curvilinear  droop  to  the  ground  with  a growth  so 
regular  and  symmetrical  as  to  give  the  v'hole  tree  the  appearance 
of  a gigantic  arbor  regularly  trained  and  trimmed,  and,  by  making 
an  arched  opening  on  one  side,  it  can  be  well  used  for  this  pur- 
pose ; the  thick  umbrageous  character  of  the  leaves  producing  the 
most  agreeable  and  dense  shade.”  It  is  a valuable  addition  to  our 
stock  of  gardenesque  trees,  such  as  are  adapted  to  artificial  treat- 
ment for  special  purposes.  Thrifty  young  elm  trees  of  the  common 
sorts,  if  in  locations  where  such  a grand  arbor  as  the  kind  Mr. 
Sargent  has  above  suggested  would  be  useful,  may  be  grafted  all 
over  the  top  with  the  Scamston  elm,  and  changed  quickly  into  a 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


325 


deep  shady  bower  of  novel  beauty.  In  our  Chapter  XIV,  on  Arti- 
ficial Adaptations  of  Trees  and  Shrubs,  are  some  suggestions  on  this 
subject,  to  which  in  this  connection  the  reader’s  attention  is  invited. 

The  Camperdown  Elm  so  nearly  resembles  the  Scamston,  that 
some  persons  consider  them  the  same.  Sargent  believes  them 
different,  and  notes  that  the  former  has  a growth  a little  more  open 
than  the  latter.  From  the  fact  that  pretty  good  observers  mistake 
one  for  the  other,  we  may  infer  that  the  difference  is  not  material. 


THE  BEECH.  Fagus. 

“ * * * who  shall  grave,  as  was  the  wont 
Of  simple  pastoral  ages,  on  the  rind 
Of  my  smooth  beeches,  some  beloved  name?” 

Bryant. 

The  beech  is  one  of  the  grandest  forest  trees  of  both  Europe 
and  America.  On  both  continents  vast  tracts  of  land  are  covered 
with  it,  to  the  exclusion  of  other  trees,  which  cannot  thrive  in 
the  dense  shade  it  creates.  Its  smooth  gray  bark,  never  furrowing 
with  age,  but  spotted  in  old  trees  with  horizontal  belts  or  patches 
of  light-gray,  makes  a beech  tree  trunk  an  attractive  and  cheerful 
object  among  other  trees,  as  well  as  a convenient  surface  on 
which  to  carve  or  write.  Attaining  great  size,  and  forming  deep 
shadows,  it  is,  nevertheless,  at  all  times  a cleanly,  cheerful-look- 
ing tree  ; and  in  winter  the  great  number  and  light  color  of  its 
radiating  branches  and  abundant  spray  is  a pleasant  characteristic. 

The  play  of  light  and  shade  in  the  foliage  of  the  beech  is  pe- 
culiar. The  lights  are  sharply-defined,  and  thin ; and  the  shadows 
proportionally  strong,  and  disposed  horizontally  in  layers  or  strata, 
like  those  of  the  pine  and  spruce  families,  notwithstanding  the 
branches,  when  bare  of  leaves,  radiate  at  acute  rather  than  right 
angles  from  the  trunk. 

The  form  of  the  tree  is  usually  ovate,  but  with  more  variety  of 
outline  in  different  specimens  than  is  found  among  maples  or 
horse-chestnuts,  varying  from  oblate  to  conical  forms,  with  sky  out- 
lines occasionally  quite  broken  and  spirited. 


32G 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


The  leaves  expand  later  than  the  maples  and  horse-chestnuts, 
and  earlier  than  those  of  the  oak  or  hickory.  They  are  small, 
oval-accuminate,  serrated,  thin,  wavy,  dark,  and  glossy,  and  so 
thickly  set  on  the  branches,  that  its  shade  is  the  darkest  of  all  the 
forest  trees.  They  have  the  same  fault,  however,  as  those  of  the 
white  oak,  of  remaining  on  the  tree,  dead  and  dry,  during  the 
winter  and  spring.  This  quality,  though  it  makes  the  beech  less 
desirable  as  a lawn  tree,  when  it  mars  the  tender  verdure  of  spring 
grass  by  dropping  its  second  crop  of  dead  leaves,  is,  nevertheless, 
rather  an  interesting  feature  in  winter, — the  gathering  of  snow 
upon  the  dead  foliage  often  producing  most  picturesque  effects. 
We  agree  with  Downing  “ that  a deciduous  tree  should  as  certainly 
drop  its  leaves  at  the  approach  of  cold  weather,  as  an  evergreen 
should  retain  them,”  and  offer  this  mitigating  beauty  as  a partial 
apology  for  the  one  bad  habit  of  the  family. 

The  roots  of  the  beech  grow  close  under  the  syrface  of  the 
ground,  and  in  old  forests  the  radiation  of  their  huge  gnarled 
masses  around  the  base  of  the  trunk,  is  most  picturesque.  The 
poet  Gray  thus  happily  describes  them  : — 

“ There,  at  the  foot  of  yonder  nodding  beech, 

That  wreathes  its  old  fantastic  roots  so  high, 

His  listless  length  at  noontide  he  would  stretch, 

And  pore  upon  the  brook  that  babbled  by.” 

In  the  famous  old  beech  forest  of  the  Hague  in  Belgium,  this 
curious  ramification  of  the  great  roots  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing features  of  the  place ; and  in  the  wonderfully  picturesque  old 
forest  of  Fontainebleau,  the  grand  old  beech  trees  that  wreathe  their 
roots  among  the  rocks  which  they  seem  to  love,  add  greatly  to  the 
air  of  weird  antiquity  that  pervades  this  ancient  hunting-ground  of 
the  French  kings. 

The  wild  species  of  the  beech  are  not  numerous ; but  the  varie- 
ties of  the  European  beech,  Fagus  sylvaticus , introduced  by  culti- 
vators and  tree-fanciers  are  some  of  the  most  peculiar  of  trees. 

The  American  White  Beech.  Fagus  americana. — This,  the 
loftiest  and  most  common  native  species,  together  with  its  com- 
panion the  red  beech,  F.  ferruginea , which  forms  a lower  and  more 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


327 


massive  head,  represent  so  entirely  all  the  qualities  that  charac- 
terize the  common  beech  tree  of  Europe,  Fagus  sylvatica , that  the 
above  general  remarks  on  the  beech  apply  equally  to  all.  The 
American  white  beech  occasionally  attains  a height  of  one  hundred 
feet,  but  eighty  feet  is  the  more  common  altitude.  This  size  is  ex- 
ceeded by  the  finest  specimens  in  England  and  on  the  Continent. 
Loudon  mentions  a beech  at  Kinwell,  growing  in  a pure  sand,  one 
hundred  and  five  feet  high,  with  a head  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  feet  in  diameter.  The  great  beech  in  Studley  Park  is  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  feet  high,  and  upwards  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  in  diameter  of  head. 

The  rate  of  growth  of  the  white  beech,  when  young,  is  about 
the  same  as  that  of  the  sugar  maple,  but  its  growth  is  somewhat 
more  rapid  after  it  has  attained  middle  size,  say  thirty  feet  in 
height ; and  it  is  not  unusual  to  see  specimens  growing  with  much 
greater  rapidity  from  the  beginning.  Loudon  mentions  one  only 
fourteen  years  planted,  forty  feet  high  and  thirty-two  feet  diameter 
of  head.  Though  the  beech  adapts  itself  readily  to  a great  variety 
of  soils,  it  attains  the  greatest  size  on  those  with  a humid  surface, 
and  a porous  and  calcareous  subsoil.  And  it  will  grow  to  great 
size  in  the  crevices  of  rocks  contiguous  to  moisture.  Few  trees 
vary  more  in  form.  While  in  some  groves  of  English  trees,  as 
among  the  “ Ashridge  beeches  ” (Loudon’s  Encyclopaedia  Britan- 
nica,  p.  1977),  the  Queen  beech  is  seventy-four  feet  high,  without 
a branch,  and  then  forms  a tufted  head  one  hundred  and  ten 
feet  in  height ; another  specimen  is  mentioned  only  thirty-six  feet 
high,  with  a trunk  fourteen  feet  in  circumference,  five  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  a head  ninety-five  feet  in  diameter ! 

The  leaves  of  the  beech  are  said  to  be  less  liable  to  attacks  of 
insects,  or  to  be  eaten  by  cattle,  than  any  other  tree. 

The  Weeping  Beech.  F sylvaticus  pendula. — We  consider 
this  the  most  curious  tree  of  our  zone,  and  one  that  will  commend 
itself  more  and  more  as  it  becomes  known.  The  original  tree 
stands  in  the  park  of  Baron  de  Man,  at  Beersel,  Belgium.*  The 


* P.  J.  Berckmans,  in  Gardeners’  Monthly,  June,  i86g. 


328 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


F.g.  104. 


trunk  is  three  and  a half  to  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  grows  in  a 
twisted  form  to  a height  of  twelve  to  fifteen  feet,  with  an  appear- 
ance as  if  an  immense  weight  were  pressing  it  down.  The 
branches  cover  an  area  nearly  a hundred  feet  in  diameter.  Its 
history  is  curious.  Some  sixty  years  ago  the  baron’s  gardener  was 
planting  an  avenue  of  beech  trees,  and  the  baron,  observing  a very 
crooked  specimen,  directed  to  have  it  thrown  out ; but  the  gar- 
dener planted  it  in  a corner  of  the  grounds  little  visited,  where  it 
grew  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  singular  freaks  of  sylvan 
nature. 

The  illustration,  Fig.  104,  at  the  head  of  this  page,  is  a portrait 
of  the  weeping  beech  growing  on  the  grounds  of  the  Parsons  nur- 
sery at  Flushing,  and  is  probably  the  finest  in  this  country.  It  is 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


329 


impossible  for  any  engraving  to  do  justice  to  the  eccentric  luxu- 
riance of  this  tree.  It  is  the  very  embodiment  of  all  the  odd  freaks 
of  growth  that  make  trees  picturesque,  and  the  vigorous  healthful- 
ness of  foliage  that  makes  them  beautiful.  This  tree  is  but  twenty- 
five  years  old,  forty-five  feet  high,  and  fifty  feet  across  the  greatest 
spread  of  its  branches.  There  is  a weeping  beech  growing  in  the 
grounds  of  John  A.  Kendrick  in  Newton,  Mass.,  which  has  a cer- 
tain symmetry  of  proportion,  notwithstanding  all  its  erratic  ten- 
dencies. It  was  planted  in  1834,  and  is  now  fifty  feet  high.  From 
the  ground  to  the  top  the  trunk  is  straight,  and  the  branches,  which 
directly  incline  downwards,  are  thrown  off  with  perfect  symmetry. 
Branches,  starting  out  twenty-six  feet  high,  droop  and  trail  upon 
the  ground.*  This,  however,  is  not  the  usual  habit  of  the  tree, 
which  commonly  begins  its  growth  in  a great  variety  of  tortuous 
directions ; so  that  cultivators  who  have  never  seen  well-grown 
specimens  are  apt  to  ask  what  there  can  be  about  that  ungainly 
straggler  to  recommend  it  for  an  ornamental  tree.  We  have  seen 
its  leading  stem  grow  so  as  to  tie  itself  up  into  a knot,  and  then 
start  upward  as  if  it  quite  enjoyed  sitting  on  itself. 

The  growth  of  the  tree  indicates  great  vitality,  and  it  will 
doubtless  become  one  of  the  largest,  as  well  as  the  most  curious,  of 
lawn  trees.  Its  fine  masses  of  pendant  boughs,  and  glossy,  wavy 
leaves,  do  not  fairly  hide  the  occasional  uncouthness  of  its  branches 
until  the  tree  has  been  five  or  six  years  planted.  Of  course  the 
richer  and  deeper  the  soil,  the  more  speedily  its  best  characteristics 
will  be  developed. 

The  Purple-leaved  Beech.  F.  purpurea. — This  singularly 
tinted  tree  is  a sport  from  the  common  white  beech,  found  in  a Ger- 
man forest,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  of  tree-novelties.  In  the  spring 
its  opening  leaves  and  twigs  have  a bright  purple  color,  approaching 
to  crimson.  As  the  growth  continues,  the  color  changes  to  a dull 
purplish-green  less  pleasing,  but  still  of  a character  to  attract  atten- 
tion throughout  the  season.  The  form  is  perhaps  a little  more  sym- 
metrically ovate  than  the  common  beech,  and  the  tree  does  not  attain 


* Gardeners’  Monthly,  June,  1867. 


330 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


so  great  size,  but  has  the  same  dense,  glossy  foliage,  and  in  conse- 
quence of  its  rare  color  may  be  designated  as  one  of  the  best  trees 
for  even  a small  collection.  There  is  much  difference  in  the  bright- 
ness and  duration  of  the  purple  color,  in  different  specimens  of  the 
purple  beech,  and  planters  should  select  trees  from  the  nursery 
rows  at  midsummer  to  be  more  certain  of  their  character. 

The  Copper-colored  Beech,  F.  cuprea , is  a sub-variety  of  the 
purple  beech,  the  young  shoots  of  which  are  of  a darker  and  duller 
color.  “ It  makes  a splendid  appearance  in  the  sunshine,  and  when 
the  leaves  are  greatly  ruffled  with  the  wind  ; but  in  a state  of  re- 
pose, and  on  a cloudy  day,  it  can  hardly  be  distinguished  from  the 
common  green-leaved  beech.” 

The  Variegated-leaved  Beeches,  F variegata , and  others,  are 
pretty  and  peculiar  when  the  leaves  first  appear,  but  at  midsummer 
the  variegation  of  the  leaves,  as  far  as  it  is  apparent,  only  serves  to 
give  them  an  unhealthy  appearance. 

The  Fern-leaved  and  Cut-leaved  Beeches.  F heterophylla 
and  F lacimata. — The  peculiarity  of  these  varieties  is  in  the  fern- 
like delicacy  of  their  growing  foliage,  the  young  spray  of  which 
pushes  out  from  the  preceding  year’s  growth  like  filaments  or  ten- 
drils, giving  the  tree  an  exquisitely  delicate  sky-outline.  Their 
foliage  is  of  a lighter  tone  than  that  of  any  of  the  other  beeches. 
H.  W.  Sargent,  in  his  Supplement  to  Downing’s  Landscape  Garden- 
ing, thus  describes  the  former ; “ The  fern-leaved  beech  is  a great 
favorite  with  us,  and  we  hardly  know  a prettier  or  more  attractive 
tree,  or  one  less  known  or  planted.  If  we  could  plant  but  half  a 
dozen  trees,  this  would  certainly  be  one  of  the  first.  It  has  the 
close  round  habit  of  the  beech,  with  a pleasing  green  and  glaucous 
color,  and  the  most  tiny  and  delicate  foliage,  the  persistency  of 
which  would  make  it  very  desirable  for  topiary  work,  as  it  bears 
the  shears  better  than  any  deciduous  tree  we  know  of.”  Loudon 
thinks  it  “ more  curious  than  beautiful.”  We  have  seen  some  of 
the  best  specimens  in  this  country,  and  can  hardly  concur  with  Mr. 
Sargent  in  ranking  it  as  one  of  the  most  interesting  half  dozen 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


331 


trees,  but  it  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  delicately  beautiful  in  out- 
line when  in  its  growing  state. 

The  Red  Beech.  F.  ferruginea. — This  native  species,  according 
to  Michaux,  ‘‘  bears  a greater  resemblance  to  that  of  Europe  than 
to  the  kindred  American  species : it  equals  the  white  beech  in 
diameter,  but  not  in  height ; and  as  it  ramifies  nearer  the  earth,  and 
is  more  numerously  divided,  it  has  a more  massive  summit,  and  the 
appearance  of  more  tufted  foliage.  Its  leaves  are  equally  brilliant, 
a little  larger  and  thicker,  and  have  longer  teeth.”  The  trunk  has 
a greater  proportion  of  reddish  or  heart  wood,  than  the  white 
beech  ; hence  its  name. 

The  following  remarks  by  Loudon  on  the  general  characteristics 
of  the  beech  family  are  in  his  habitual  fine  vein  of  discrimination  : 

“ As  an  ornaihental  tree  for  the  park  and  lawn,  especially  near 
the  mansion,  the  beech  has  many  important  advantages.  Though 
its  head  is  more  compact  and  lumpish  than  that  of  the  oak,  the  elm, 
or  the  ash,  yet  its  lower  branches  hang  down  to  the  ground  in 
more  pliant  and  graceful  forms  than  those  of  any  of  these  trees. 
The  points  of  these  branches  turn  up  with  a curve,  which  though 
not  picturesque,  has  a character  of  its  own,  which  will  be  found 
generally  pleasing.  The  leaves  are  beautiful  in  every  period  of 
their  existence ; nothing  can  be  finer  than  their  transparent  deli- 
cacy, when  expanding,  and  for  some  weeks  afterwards.  In  summer 
their  smooth  texture,  and  their  deep,  yet  lively  green,  are  highly 
gratifying  to  the  eye  ; and  the  warmth  of  their  umber  tint,  when 
they  hang  on  the  trees  during  the  winter  season,  as  contrasted  with 
the  deep  and  solemn  green  of  pines  and  firs,  has  a rich,  striking, 
and  most  agreeable  effect  in  landscape.”  Arboretum  Brita?micumy 
page  1965. 

Although  not  altogether  apropos  in  a descriptive  work,  we 
cannot  close  with  the  beech  without  quoting  for  the  reader  the 
poet  Campbell’s  exquisite  lines,  entitled  “ The  Beech  Tree’s 
Petition.” 

“ Oh,  leave  this  barren  spot  to  me ! 

Spare,  woodman,  spare  the  beechen  tree ! 

Though  bud  and  flowret  never  grow 
My  dark,  unwarming  shade  below ; 


332 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


Nor  summer  bud  perfume  the  dew 
Of  rosy  blush,  or  yellow  hue ; 

Nor  fruits  of  autumn,  blossom  born, 

My  green  and  glossy  leaves  adorn ; 

Nor  murmuring  tribes  from  me  derive 
The  ambrosial  amber  of  the  hive; 

Yet  leave  this  barren  spot  to  me: 

Spare,  woodman,  spare  the  beechen  tree  I 

Thrice  twenty  summers  I have  seen 
The  sky  grow  bright,  the  forest  green ; 
And  many  a wintry  wind  have  stood 
In  bloomless,  fruitless  solitude. 

Since  childhood,  in  my  pleasant  bower, 
First  spent  its  sweet  and  sportive  hour; 
Since  youthful  lovers  in  my  shade 
Their  vows  of  truth  and  lapture  made, 
And  on  my  trunks  surviving  frame 
Carved  many  a long-forgotten  name. 

Oh ! by  the  sighs  of  gentle  sound, 

First  breathed  upon  this  sacred  ground. 
By  all  that  love  has  whispered  there, 

Or  beauty  heard  with  ravished  ear ; 

As  love's  own  altar,  honor  me: 

Spare,  woodman,  spare  the  beechen  tree 


THE  AMERICAN  CHESTNUT-TREE.  Castanea  americana. 

This,  our  common  native  chestnut,  is  one  of  the  glories  of 
the  rocky  hill-sides  and  pastures  of  New  England,  and  well  known 
throughout  the  northern  States,  and  on  the  mountains  of  the 
southern  States.  It  is  a tree  of  great  size,  grand  character,  and 
rapid  growth.  In  form,  when  mature,  it  resembles  the  white  oak, 
but  assumes  its  grand  air  much  younger.  Fig.  105,  is  a por- 
trait of  a chestnut  about  fifty  years  old,  and  exhibits  the  general 
character  of  the  tree  at  that  age.  Afterwards  it  increases  more 
rapidly  in  the  size  of  its  trunk  and  branches  than  in  height  or 
lateral  extension,  and  requires  about  a hundred  years  to  attain 
its  noblest  development ; while  the  white  oak  does  not  exhibit  its 
grandest  character  in  less  than  twice  that  time.  In  its  early 
growth  it  is  a little  rounder,  and  more  formal,  than  the  white  oak ; 
but  develops  so  much  more  rapidly  that,  at  middle  age  (fifty),  it 
is  more  “ oak-like than  the  oak  itself,  of  the  same  age.  The 
chestnut  is  particularly  attached  to  rocky  situations,  or  loose  gravelly 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


333 


Fig.  105. 


soils,  and  attains  its  best  proportions  in  such  places.  Loudon  re- 
marks of  the  European  chestnut,  Castanea  vesca  (of  which  the 
American  is  classed  as  a variety  only),  “ It  will  not  thrive  in 
stiff  tenacious  soil  ; and  in  a rich  loam  its  timber,  and  even  its 
poles  and  hoops,  are  brittle  and  good  for  nothing.  In  loamy  soils 
at  the  bottom  of  mountains,  and  in  loam  incumbent  on  clay,  it 
attains  a large  size,  and  in  so  short  a time,  that,  according  to  Sang, 
wherever  the  chestnut  is  planted  in  its  proper  soil  and  situation,  it 
will  outgrow  any  other  tree  in  the  same  length  of  time,  except  per- 
haps the  larch,  the  willow,  and  some  of  the  poplars.  According 
to  Bose  it  will  not  thrive  in  calcareous  soil,  but  those  lying  over 
granite,  gneiss,  and  schistus,  and  which  are  composed  of  the  debris 
of  these  rocks,  appear  particularly  suitable  for  it.  It  thrives  well 
among  rocks  where  there  is  apparently  very  little  soil,  insinuating 
itself  among  their  fissures  and  chinks,  and  attaining  a large  size.” 
“ Wherever  I have  seen  chestnut  trees,”  observes  the  same  author, 
u and  I have  seen  them  in  a great  many  different  localities,  they 
were  never  on  soils  or  on  surfaces  fit  for  the  production  of  corn. 
On  mountains  in  France,  Switzerland,  and  Italy,  the  chestnut 
begins  where  the  corn  leaves  off ; and  in  climates  suitable  for 
corn,  the  tree  is  only  found  on  rocky  or  flinty  soils.” 


334 


DECIDUOUS  TRVES. 


The  above  observations  concerning  the  European  sweet  chest- 
nut, though  in  the  main  applicable  to  our  own  chestnut,  are  not 
entirely  so ; for  we  have  seen  some  of  the  largest  trees  of  the 
species  in  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia,  in  soils  which,  if  not 
alluvial,  were  at  least  of  a character  to  bear  grain.  Still,  these  soils 
may  be  composed  in  part  of  the  debris  of  the  very  rocks  which  the 
close  observer  above  quoted  has  mentioned  as  essential  to  the 
growth  of  the  tree.  Michaux  found  the  finest  chestnut  trees  of 
the  United  States  on  the  mountain  slopes  of  the  Carolinas. 

The  chestnut  is  remarkable  for  its  longevity  and  the  immense 
size  its  trunk  attains.  On  the  Blight  place  in  Germantown,  near 
Philadelphia,  are  some  grand  specimens.  One  old  trunk,  the  top 
of  which  is  a ruin,  is  nine  feet  in  diameter,  with  a horizontal 
branch,  at  six  feet  from  the  ground,  three  feet  in  diameter ! The 
“elephant  chestnut”  of  the  Hartshorn  forest,  Neversink  Highlands, 
New  York  harbor,  is  a grand  specimen,  said  to  be  five  hundred 
years  old.  In  the  grounds  of  Moses  Brown,  School  Lane,  Ger- 
mantown, Pa.,  is  an  immense  chestnut,  formed  of  three  trunks, 
grown  into  one  at  the  base,  which  measures  nearly  ten  feet  in 
diameter  one  way,  and  upwards  of  five  feet  the  other.  Its  height 
is  about  ninety  feet,  and  its  branches  cover  an  area  nearly  one 
hundred  feet  in  diameter ; yet  Mr.  Brown  informed  us  that  the 
tree  is  probably  not  more  than  one  hundred  years  old  ! At  New- 
ton Centre,  Mass.,  on  the  Rice  estate,  is  one  of  the  grandest 
chestnuts  in  New  England  ; height  nearly  eighty  feet,  spread  of 
limbs  ninety-three  feet,  and  girth  of  trunk  at  the  base  twenty-five 
feet. 

But  the  greatest  of  our  American  chestnuts  are  small  in  trunk 
compared  with  some  of  the  famous  old  specimens  of  the  same 
species  in  Europe  and  Asia.  In  England  there  are  larger  trees 
than  our  own,  notwithstanding  the  nuts  do  not  ripen  so  well  there. 
The  Studley  Park  chestnut,  twenty-one  years  ago,  was  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  feet  high,  seven  and  a half  feet  in  diameter  of 
trunk,  and  ninety-one  and  a half  feet  across  its  branches  ; and  at 
Croft  Castle,  in  Herefordshire,  there  is  one  eighty  feet  high,  one 
hundred  and  twelve  feet  across  its  branches,  and  eight  and  a hnlf 
feet  diameter  of  trunk.  The  trunks  of  chestnut  trees  continue  to 


t 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


335 


expand  for  centuries  after  the  tops  are  falling  with  decay.  The 
knotted  base  of  the  old  Tortsworth  chestnut  (supposed  to  date 
back  to  the  time  of  the  occupation  of  Britain  by  the  Romans),  is 

fifty-two  feet  in  circumference  at  five  feet  from  the  ground ! It 

was  so  large  as  to  be  called  the  “ Great  Chestnut  of  Tortsworth  ” 

as  early  as  A.  D.  1135.  The  most  noted  chestnut  trees  in  the 

world  are  the  venerable  trunks  on  Mount  Etna,  where  the  living 
shells  of  what  are  supposed  once  to  have  been  solid  trees,  measure 
from  sixty-four  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  circumference 
near  the  root ! 

The  chestnut  was  the  favorite  tree  of  the  great  master  of  the 
picturesque  in  landscape  painting,  Salvator  Rosa,  and  flourished 
in  the  mountains  of  Calabria,  where  he  painted.  For  decorative 
planting  a noted  English  author,  already  quoted  (Bose),  thus 
speaks  of  it : — “ As  an  ornamental  tree,  the  chestnut  ought  to  be 
placed  before  the  oak.  Its  beautiful  leaves,  which  are  never  at- 
tacked by  insects,  and  which  hang  on  the  trees  till  very  late  in 
autumn,  mass  better  than  those  of  the  oak,  and  give  more  shade. 
An  old  chestnut  standing  alone  produces  a superb  effect.” 

The  leaves  of  the  chestnut  expand  immediately  after  those  of 
the  horse-chestnut  and  maple,  and  a little  earlier  than  those  of  the 
oak.  They  are  from  six  to  nine  inches  long,  two  to  three  inches 
wide,  pointed,  with  scolloped  edges,  and  of  a warm  green  color.  The 
flowers  appear  in  July,  when  most  trees  have  done  blooming,  and 
though  not  interesting  or  showy  in  themselves,  the  mass  of  them, 
mingling  their  yellowish  white  with  the  leaves,  or  rather  projecting 
beyond  the  leaves,  on  the  crown  of  the  tree,  fringe  it  with  a rich 
golden  color  which  is  very  effective,  especially  where  relieved  on  a 
hill-side  against  the  darker  foliage  of  other  trees.  The  foliage  of 
this  species  of  chestnut  is  rarely  so  dense  and  luxuriant  as  that  of 
the  horse-chestnuts  or  the  sugar  maple,  but  it  divides  at  an  earlier 
age  into  nobler  masses.  Everybody  knows  the  fruit  or  nut ; but 
everybody  does  not  know  what  a great  prickly  burr  encases  it 
while  growing,  and,  unluckily  for  the  pleasure-grounds  where  a 
chestnut  grows,  falls  with  it,  and  endangers  the  feet  of  unwary 
children  or  the  bodies  of  summer  loungers  in  its  shade.  Yet  these 
burrs  add  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  foliage  by  forming  tufts  of 


336 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


lighter  green  in  summer,  and  by  their  golden-brown  color  about 
the  time  they  are  ready  to  fall. 

Some  curious  new  varieties  are  mentioned  by  H.  W.  Sargent 
in  his  supplement  to  Downing’s  Landscape  Gardening,  the  cut- 
leaved, and  two  varieties  of  variegated-leaved,  but  it  is  doubtful  if 
they  have  been  known  long  enough  to  decide  on  their  merits  or 
demerits.  It  is  said  that  the  best  trees  are  grown  from  the  nut, 
without  transplanting,  the  tap-root  being  essential  to  the  best  de- 
velopment of  the  tree. 

The  Dwarf  Chestnut  or  Chinquapin.  Castanea  piwiila. — 
Similar  to  the  foregoing,  except  that  it  is  smaller  in  all  its  parts, 
and  does  not  bear  so  cold  a climate.  It  does  best  in  a cool,  moist, 
rich  soil,  and  forms  a tree  from  ten  to  thirty-five  feet  high,  accord- 
ing to  its  location — “ a pretty  round-headed  miniature  chestnut 
tree.”  (Meehan). 

The  Spanish  Chestnut.  C.  Vesca. — A stately  tree  of  grand 
character,  supposed  to  have  been  indigenous  in  Asia  Minor,  but 
domesticated  in  the  warmer  portions  of  Europe  since  the  earlier 
periods  of  Roman  history.  It  cannot  with  us  be  considered  en- 
tirely hardy  north  of  Washington.  In  general  appearance  it  closely 
resembles  our  native  chestnut,  but  the  leaves  are  not  quite  so  large. 
During  the  ages  it  has  been  in  cultivation  in  Europe,  great  numbers 
of  varieties  have  been  found  with  nuts  quite  superior  to  the  original 
sorts,  and  these  are  called  by  the  French  marrons>  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  common  chestnuts,  or  chataignes , “ the  latter  being 
to  the  former  what  the  crab  is  to  the  apple.”  Those  who  plant  the 
chestnut  in  Europe  select  their  sorts  as  Americans  choose  varieties 
of  apples.  The  best  nuts  form  an  article  of  commerce,  to  eat  when 
boiled,  and  are  among  the  most  popular  relishes  of  the  poorer 
classes  of  France, — a handful  of  hot  marrons  being  the  most  com- 
mon present  of  the  French  rustic  to  his  sweetheart  when  they  stroll 
together  near  the  booths  where  the  nuts  are  roasted.  In  the  south 
of  France  and  north  of  Italy,  chestnuts  are  harvested  in  great  quan- 
tities, and  used  in  many  ways  as  a substitute  for  wheat  flour  and 
potatoes. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


337 


THE  HORSE-CHESTNUT.  Asculus  and  Pavia. 


Under  this  head  may  be  classed  the  species  known  as  European 
horse-chestnuts,  the  American  varieties  known  as  buckeyes,  and 
the  smooth-fruited  horse-chestnuts,  the  latter  being  botanically  des- 
ignated as  Pavias ; though  the  differences  between  them  and  the 
European  horse-chestnuts  do  not  seem  to  warrant  so  distinctive 
a separation.  We  shall  treat  them  all  as  varieties  of  horse-chestnuts. 

I 

The  European  or  Common  White-flowering  Horse-chest- 
nut. Al.  hippocastanum. — The  native  country  of  this  tree  is 
somewhat  in  doubt.  It  has 
been  known  in  Europe  for 
three  centuries,  and  it  is 
thought  can  be  traced  from 
the  mountains  of  Thibet. 

The  species  was  first  brought 
to  England  in  1550  ; but  it  was 
22 


Fig.  107. 


338 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


a rare  tree  as  late  as  a century  ago  in  most  parts  of  Europe, 
though  now  so  universally  planted  that  no  tree  is  more  common 
in  avenues  and  parks.  Parkinson,  in  1629,  says:  “Our  Christian 
world  had  first  a knowledge  of  it  from  Constantinople.”  To 
know  that  a tree  so  hardy  and  well  adapted  to  our  country  was 
originally  from  a region  where  the  winters  are  milder  than  our 
own,  is  a pleasant  encouragement  to  the  introduction  and  acclima- 
tion of  new  discoveries  from  semi-tropical  regions. 

The  horse-chestnut,  when  young,  is  a tree  of  formal  and  un- 
interesting outline ; but  as  it  increases  in  age  its  dense  foliage 
breaks  into  fine  masses,  and  grows  more  and  more  beautiful  until 
it  becomes  a grand  old  tree.  It  has  an  erect  trunk,  an  ovate  form 
when  young,  and  squarish  oval  at  maturity, — the  height  of  the  head 
usually  exceeding  its  breadth. 

Each  leaf  is  composed  of  five  or  seven  leaflets,  which  radiate 
from  the  petiole  like  parts  of  a fan.  In  color  they  are  among  the 
purest  of  greens,  without  gloss.  The  growth  of  the  leaves  is  very 
rapid,  both  shoots  and  leaves  being  sometimes  perfected  in  three 
weeks  after  the  bursting  of  the  bud.  Thus  the  horse-chestnut, 
though  it  does  not  begin  to  burst  its  buds  earlier  than  many  other 
trees,  is  in  magnificent  foliage  while  they  are  yet  in  embryo  de- 
velopment. Following  immediately  this  splendid  bursting  into 
leaf,  its  blossoms  glow  in  great  spikes  like  giant  hyacinths  set  in 
the  green  young  foliage,  and  lifted  upon  a tree  stem  to  form  a 
colossal  bouquet.  In  May  and  June,  in  leaf  and  blossom,  no  hardy 
tree  equals  it  in  beauty.  In  autumn,  however,  it  drops  its  leaves 
early,  and  is  entirely  disrobed  when  many  other  trees  are  putting 
on  their  most  gorgeous  colors.  The  maples  and  some  other  trees 
are  much  finer  at  the  season’s  close,  but  in  its  flowering  season  the 
horse-chestnut  is  incomparably  superior  to  all  its  rivals. 

The  horse-chestnut  should  never  be  crowded.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  perfect  of  single  lawn  trees  after  the  first  ten  or  fifteen  years’ 
growth.  If  a yard  is  large  enough  to  accommodate  but  one  full 
tree,  it  should  have  few  rivals  for  the  place. 

For  an  avenue  of  street  trees  it  has  no  superior ; but,  like  the 
sugar  maple,  it  makes  a very  dark  shadow,  and  should  not  be 
planted  closely  in  rows,  nor  very  near  to  the  windows  of  a resi- 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


339 


dence.  For  wide  avenues  its  more  formal  character  and  narrower 

head  make  it  quite  inferior  to  our  weep- 
ing elm,  but  it  has  the  advantage  of  that 
sylvan  queen  of  being  less  liable  to 
injury  by  worms. 

The  rate  of  growth  of  the  European 
horse-chestnut  is  about  the  same  as  that 
of  the  sugar  maple,  and  half  that  of  the 
weeping  or  white  elm.  Our  native  sorts, 
the  buckeyes,  are  of  slower  growth  and 
smaller  size.  In  England  there  are  trees 
from  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  high, 
^nd  others  of  equal  diameter  of  head, 
but  in  general  it  is  somewhat  inferior 
in  size  at  maturity  to  the  great  oaks 
and  chestnuts  ; sixty  feet  in  height,  and 
fifty  feet  diameter,  being  about  its  average  development  at  ma- 
turity. The  vignette,  Fig.  106,  represents  the  common  form  of  a 
full-grown  tree,  Fig.  107  its  leaves,  and  Fig.  108  the  form  of  a 
thrifty  tree  of  twelve  years’  growth. 


The  Double  White-flowering  Horse-chestnut,  A.  h. 
flore  plena , is  a superb  variety,  with  double  flowers,  in  larger  spikes 
than  those  of  the  common  sort,  and  set  with  equal  or  greater 
abundance  on  the  tree.  It  is  in  full  bloom  in  June,  two  weeks 
later  than  the  common  sort.  The  form  of  the  tree  is  higher  in 
proportion  to  its  diameter  than  the  latter,  the  height  being  nearly 
double  the  breadth,  and  more  square  in  outline.  Ellwanger  and 
Barry,  at  Rochester,  have  a noble  young  specimen  about  forty 
feet  high,  which,  in  the  blossoming  season,  is  like  a verdant  tower 
spangled  all  over  with  hyacinthine  bouquets.  It  is  in  all  respects 
an  exquisite  lawn  tree,  and  one  of  the  thriftiest  of  the  species. 

The  Red-flowering  Horse-chestnut.  A.  h.  rubicunda. — 
This  • tree  is  of  less  vigorous  growth  than  the  preceding,  and  of 
more  globular  form.  It  blooms  at  the  same  time,  and  the  high 
color  of  its  flowers  makes  it  one  of  the  most  showy  of  trees  in 
the  blossoming  season. 


340 


DECIDUOUS  TBEES. 


The  Scarlet-flowering  Horse-chestnut,  A.  h.  coccinea , 
is  a variety  of  the  rubicunda , said  to  have  more  brilliantly  colored 
flowers.  Sargent  mentions  it  as  the  most  striking  floral  tree  of  the 
season.  It  blooms  when  quite  young. 

The  Variegated-leaved  Horse-chestnut,  A.  h.  anrea , is  a 
variety  little  commended ; the  variegation  not  remaining  a bright 
and  healthy  color  throughout  the  season,  though  it  gives  the  tree  a 
pleasing  warm  tone  in  the  spring. 

The  Cut-leaved  Horse-chestnut,  A.  h.  lacianata , is  remark- 
able solely  for  the  very  curious  shred-like  character  of  its  leaves. 

The  Dwarf  Double-flowering  Horse-chestnut,  A.  h. 
nana  flore  plena , is  a variety  with  large  leaves  and  compact  head, 
which  is  said  to  grow  only  eight  to  ten  feet  high,  and  promises  to 
be  an  interesting  shrub. 

The  Big,  or  Ohio  Buckeye,  or  Yellow  Horse-chestnut. 

Pavia  flava  or  As  cuius  flava. — This  fine 
native  tree  in  some  portions  of  the  west  is 
the  special  herald  of  summer.  Its  sudden 
and  early  bursting  into  full  leaf  makes  it, 
in  spring,  the  most  observed  of  trees,  be- 
ing even  earlier  than  the  European  sort. 
It  is  found  wild  on  the  banks  of  most 
western  streams,  and  there,  among  forest 
trees,  it  sometimes  attains  a height  of  sixty 
to  eighty  feet.  In  open  ground  its  form  is 
very  rigid,  and  it  forms  a globular  head 
from  twenty  to  forty  feet  in  height.  Fig. 
109  is  a specimen  of  the  buckeye  growing 
in  an  English  park.  Both  the  blossom 
spikes  and  the  blossoms  are  smaller  than 
on  the  European  species,  and  of  a greenish  yellow  color  that  renders 
them  less  conspicuous.  The  leaves  drop  long  before  those  of 
most  other  trees ; even  before  those  of  the  European  horse-chest- 


Fig.  109. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


341 


nuts,  so  that  the  tree  has  less  value  on  this  account  than  the  im- 
ported sorts.  It  is  in  fact  inferior  in  nearly  every  element  of  beauty. 
The  name  Buckeye  is  supposed  to  have  been  given  by  western 
hunters  to  the  beautiful  nuts  of  this  species  in  consequence  of  a 
fancied  resemblance  to  a buck’s  eye.  Some  varieties,  crosses 
probably  between  the  different  species,  have  been  originated  in 
English  gardens  and  nurseries  that  are  interesting,  and  will  be 
mentioned  hereafter. 

The  Small  Buckeye,  or  American  Red-flowered  Horse- 
chestnut.  Ads  cuius  pavia  ( Pavia  ?ubra ). — This  is  a small  tree 
with  more  slender  branches  and  leaves  than  the  Ohio  buckeye,  and 
dull  reddish-colored  flowers.  It  grows  wild  in  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina  on  the  mountains.  Height  from  ten  to  twenty  feet. 
Blossoms  in  May  and  June.  There  is  a trailing  variety  (P.  rubra 
humilis ),  which  is  insignificant  on  its  own  roots,  but  makes  a pretty 
weeping  tree  if  grafted  on  the  branches  of  upright  varieties.  There 
are  several  other  dw’arf  varieties  of  this  red-flowered  Pavia  which 
are  being  grown  in  our  best  nurseries,  but  whether  their  peculiari- 
ties are  sufficiently  distinct  to  make  them  valuable  is  yet  to  be 
determined.  All  the  dwarf  or  small  horse-chestnuts  or  Pavias 
should  be  encouraged  to  branch  pretty  close  to  the  ground. 

The  Two-colored  Pavia,  P.  discolor , is  a straggling  low  shrub 
with  beautiful  flowers  in  May,  which  continue  to  expand  for  a long 
time.  It  is  admirably  suited  to  make  picturesque  small  trees  by 
grafting  on  other  stocks. 

The  Long-fruited  Horse-chestnut.  Pavia  macrocarpa . — 
Loudon  describes  this  as  follows : “ This  variety  appears  to  us 

intermediate  between  some  variety  of  the  Ad.  hippocastanum  and 
Pavia  rubra.  The  leaves  are  large,  smooth  on  the  upper  surface, 
and  shining.  The  flowers  are  nearly  as  large  as  those  of  the  com- 
mon horse-chestnut,  and  of  a pale  red  color  mixed  with  yellow. 
The  branches  are  spreading  and  loose  ; and  the  whole  tree  has  an 
open  graceful  appearance,  quite  different  from  that  compactness  of 
form  and  rigidity  of  branches  which  belong  to  the  tree  species  and 


342 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


varieties  both  of  sEsculus  and  Pavia.  This  sort  can  scarcely  be 
said  to  be  in  cultivation  in  the  nurseries,  notwithstanding  its  claims 
to  a place  in  every  collection  of  ornamental  trees.”  * 

The  Dwarf  White-flowering  Horse-chestnut.  P.  mac - 
rostachia. — This  superb  spreading  shrub  was  first  brought  promi- 
nently before  the  public  in  this  country  by  H.  W.  Sargent,  in  his 
Appendix  to  Downing’s  Landscape  Gardening,  where  it  is  enthusi- 
astically described,  and  admirably  pictured.  He  thus  mentions  a 
specimen  in  his  own  grounds.  “Our  best  plant  at  Wodenethe, 
twelve  years  old,  is  sixty  feet  in  circumference  and  about  eight  feet 
high,  and  has,  at  the  time  we  write,  between  three  and  four  hundred 
racemes  of  flowers,  the  feathery  lightness  of  which,  and  the  fine 
umbrageous  character  of  the  leaves,  render  it  a most  striking  and 
attractive  object.”  It  comes  into  bloom  late  in  June,  and  con- 
tinues blooming  a long  time. 

A 

The  California  Buckeye,  yEsculus  calij 'ornica,  is  described  in 
the  Pacific  Railroad  Survey  as  a low,  spreading  shrub  or  tree,  eight 
to  twenty  feet  high ; “flowers  rose-colored,  racemes  about  six  inches 
long,  from  spring  to  midsummer.” 

The  following  general  remarks  on  the  dwarf  varieties  are  from 
Loudon’s  Trees  and  Shrubs  of  Great  Britain,  page  134:  “The 
most  valuable  varieties  of  both  sEsculus  and  Pavia  are  best  per- 
petuated by  budding  or  grafting,  and  collectors  ought  always  to 
see  that  the  plants  they  purchase  have  been  worked.  Pavia  rubra 
as  a tree,  P.  discolor  either  as  a shrub  or  grafted  standard  high,  and 
P.  macrostachia  as  a shrub,  ought  to  be  in  every  collection,  whether 
small  or  large.t  Pavia  humilis , when  grafted  standard  high  on  the 
common  horse-chestnut,  forms  an  ornament  at  once  singular  and 
beautiful.  As  the  horse-chestnut  is  found  on  most  plantations 


* Arboretum  Britannicum,  p.  473. 

t This  remark  probably  applies  the  word  “ small  ” to  parks  of  five  to  ten  acres.  Of  course  it 
would  be  absurd  to  recommend  that  every  owner  of  a half  acre  or  acre,  devoted  to  decorative 
planting,  in  this  country,  should  attempt  to  have  a specimen  of  every  fine  variety;  unless  he 
intends  to  use  his  entire  ground  to  make  a complete  collection  0/  some  one  species  0/  tree  01 
shrub  only. 


those  who  are  curious  in  the  species  and  varieties  might  graft  them 
in  the  upper  branches  of  old  trees,  or  young  trees  might  be  headed 
down  and  one  kind  grafted  on  each.” 


THE  MAPLE.  Acer. 

The  universal  popularity  of  the  maples  is  a marked  proof  of 
their  great  merits.  Among  the  very  earliest  to  expand  into  full 
leaf  in  the  spring,  unsurpassed  in  profusion  of  foliage  and  depth 
of  shade  in  summer,  glowing  with  brilliant  colors  in  autumn, 
and  finally  dropping  their  leaves  clean  and  dry  to  spangle  the 
lawn  with  the  bright  colors  of  a painter’s  palette — surely  no  other 
family  of  trees  can  boast  a greater  array  of  merits.  Add  to  these 
that  it  is  a healthy  family,  subject  to  fewer  diseases  or  noxious  in- 
sects than  most  others,  that  the  different  species  are  adapted  to 
nearly  all  soils,  and  are  mostly  of  that  moderate  size  and  compact 
form  that  renders  them  more  appropriate  than  trees  of  grosser 
growth  to  be  placed  in  cultivated  small  grounds,  and  the  fact  of 
their  great  popularity  is  fully  accounted  for.  As  to  their  faults, 
excepting  only  their  too  great  uniformity  of  outline,  we  confess 
having  failed  to  discover  any.  The  following  species  and  varieties, 
however,  have  many  marked  differences,  some  of  them  being  much 
less  valuable  than  others.  At  the  risk  of  too  frequent  repetition, 
we  will  here  again  call  attention  to  the  fact,  that  persons  having  a 
collection  of  native  maples  on  their  grounds,  whether  of  one  or  more 
species,  may  obtain  a great  variety  of  maple  foliage  in  a short  time 
by  grafting  the  rarer  or  more  curious  varieties  upon  them. 

The  Sugar  Maple.  Acer  saccharinum. — We  begin  with  this 
favorite  indigenous  species,  because  we  believe  it,  all  things  con- 
sidered, the  most  valuable  ornamental  tree  of  all  the  maples.  It 
is,  happily,  too  well  known  and  appreciated  in  this  country  to  need 
have  attention  called  to  its  beauties.  Its  form  at  maturity",  when 
grown  in  open  ground,  is  ovate,  rather  higher  than  its  breadth,  and 
remarkable  for  its  compactness  and  the  profuse  growth  of  leaves 
in  all  parts  of  its  head.  Its  lights  and  shadows  are  peculiar,  being 


344 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


broken  into  a great  number  of  small  masses,  strongly  defined 
against  each  other  ; that  is  to  say,  the  lights  being  very  bright  and 
warm,  and  the  shadows  quite  decided,  and  yet  softly  shaded  into 
each  other.  The  disposition  of  the  shadows  is  rather  lateral,  but 
not  in  strata,  as  on  the  beech.  The  head  of  the  tree  is  remarkable 
for  its  sunny  expression ; the  parts  of  the  foliage  which  reflect  the 
light  being  in  excess  of  the  parts  in  shadow.  But  it  lacks  for  this 
reason  the  grander,  because  broader  and  bolder  shadows  that  give 
superior  dignity  and  variety  of  expression  to  the  oak,  the  chestnut, 
and  the  hickory.  The  branches  are  very  numerous,  and  radiate 
with  tolerably  equal  divergence  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  de- 
grees from  the  trunk.  The  bark  is  light-colored,  and  the  tree  has 
a cheerful  tone  when  leafless. 

In  streets  they  should  rarely  be  planted  nearer  than  twenty-five 
feet  from  each  other,  and  thirty  feet  apart  is  better. 

The  average  yearly  growth  of  the  sugar  maple  is  about  fifteen 
inches.  It  is  most  at  home  in  a gravelly  soil,  and  where  such  soils 
are  rich  and  well  drained  it  grows  rapidly,  while  in  stiff  clay,  or 
ill-drained  sandy  ground,  the  growth  is  slow.  In  ten  years  after 
planting  it  usually  grows  to  about  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  in 
height,  and  fifteen  feet  across  its  top.  Height  at  maturity  from 
fifty  to  seventy  feet. 

The  Black  or  Rock  Maple,  Acer  nigrum , is  a variety  of 
the  sugar  maple,  with  darker  and  less  deeply-lobed  leaves,  more 
globular  form,  and  lesser  growth. 

The  White  or  Silver-leaved  Maple.  Acer  eriocarpum. — 
This  native  maple,  so  common  on  the  banks  of  western  streams, 
has  become,  perhaps,  too  great  a favorite  for  street  planting.  Its 
growth  is  very  rapid,  being  nearly  double  that  of  the  sugar  maple. 
Its  form  is  much  looser  and  more  spreading,  becoming  at  maturity 
an  irregularly  square-headed  tree ; the  foliage  is  smaller,  less 
dense,  of  a lighter  green  on  the  upper  surface,  and  the  under  sur- 
face a downy  white,  which  peculiarity  gives  the  tree  its  name.  The 
stems  of  the  leaves  being  small  and  slender,  the  foliage,  as  the 
long  branches  sway  in  the  wind,  is  ruffled  so  as  to  contrast  the 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


345 


white  and  the  green  surfaces  of  the  leaves  with  a sparkling  pleasant 
effect.  It  is  a tree  for  large  grounds  and  wide  streets,  and  must 
have  ample  room.  Forty  feet  is  the  least  distance  apart  that  silver 
maples  should  be  planted  in  streets,  and  no  more  than  they  will 
completely  fill  in  twenty  years.  The  head  of  the  silver  maple  does 
not  break  into  good  masses  of  light  and  shade  until  it  is  old,  and 
in  the  mean  time  the  projection  of  its  numerous  spreading  branches 
scatter  the  light  on  a great  number  of  small  points,  and  develop 
no  broad,  deep,  or  well-defined  shadows. 

The  silver  maple  is  not  quite  so  early  in  leaf  as  the  sugar 
maple ; the  leaves  are  not  of  so  beautiful  a green,  nor  so  generous 
in  quantity,  nor  so  warm  in  their  manner  of  reflecting  the  sunlight, 
nor  so  brilliant  in  autumn.  As  a lawn  tree  for  the  class  of  grounds 
treated  of  in  this  work,  it  cannot  be  considered  so  desirable  as 
many  others  ; the  great  size  it  quickly  attains  requiring  a space  for 
its  perfect  development  that  may  be  more  interestingly  filled  with 
trees  of  smaller  size.  Of  course  this  objection  will  not  apply  so 
forcibly  to  places  where  one  or  more  acres  is  devoted  to  lawn,  nor 
to  places  where  the  proprietor  wants  but  few  trees,  and  those 
quickly,  nor  to  those  who  will  make  a specialty  of  the  maple 
family  alone. 

Red-flowering  or  Scarlet  Maple  (Red- bud  Maple). 
Acer  rubrum. — The  three  names  all  characterize  the  spring  and 
autumn  peculiarities  of  the  tree.  It  is  covered  with  small  red  buds, 
which  open  before  the  expansion  of  the  leaves  in  spring •,  and  the 
brilliancy  of  its  scarlet  leaves  in  autumn  makes  it  then  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  of  trees,  and  constitutes  a distinguishing  beauty, 
which  would,  alone,  make  it  a desirable  tree.  It  flourishes  best  in 
a soil  much  richer  than  that  which  suits  the  sugar  maple,  and 
attains  its  greatest  size  in  ground  where  its  roots  can  reach  the 
moisture  of  a stream.  There  are  specimens  on  streams  near  Phila- 
delphia seventy  to  eighty  feet  high,  with  a proportional  amplitude  of 
lateral  growth,  touching  the  meadow  on  one  side  and  the  stream 
upon  which  they  grow  upon  the  other  with  the  graceful  droop  of 
their  lower  branches.  On  rich  uplands  it  has  a compacter  growth 
and  darker  foliage,  and  becomes  a round-headed  tree  of  about  forty 


346 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


feet  in  height  and  breadth.  The  character  of  its  foliage  is  midway 
between  that  of  the  sugar  maple  and  the  silver  maple,  but  its  growth 
is  not  more  rapid  than  the  former.  In  cool  moist  soils  it  should  be 
preferred  to  the  sugar  maple.  Meehan  remarks  that  though  “found 
in  swamps  and  morasses,  it  will  thrive  in  any  soil  or  situation.” 
We  have  observed  that  its  foliage  acquires  a depth  of  green,  and  a 
glossiness  in  very  rich  warm  soils  that  give  it  quite  a different  ex- 
pression from  its  ordinary  appearance  when  growing  wild. 

There  is  a variety  advertised  in  some  nurseries  as  the  Acer 
colchicum  rubrum , said  to  be  marked  by  the  unusually  deep  purplish 
red  color  of  its  young  foliage. 

The  Moosewood  or  Striped-barked  Maple.  Acer  striatum. — 
This  is  a very  peculiar  small  native  tree,  found  principally  in  the 
sheltered  valleys  of  northern  mountains,  in  shady  places,  where  it 
grows  sometimes  singly,  but  oftener  in  groups  or  stools  composed 
of  many  strong  thrifty  sprouts,  which,  from  their  straightness  and 
lightness,  are  used  for  impromptu  fishing  rods.  The  bark  is  very 
smooth,  and  of  a dark-green  color,  marked  with  stripes  lighter  and 
darker  than  the  general  color,  on  wood  several  years  old,  and  of  a 
warm  yellowish  or  reddish-green  hue  on  the  fresh  growth.  Its 
leaves  are  quite  peculiar  in  form,  light-green,  without  any  gloss  on 
the  upper  surface,  and  of  a grayish-green  with  strongly  marked  ribs 
on  the  under  surface,  and  very  finely  serrated.  The  buds  and 
leaves  when  beginning  to  unfold  are  rose-colored,  and  “ it  is  one  of 
the  first  trees  to  announce  the  spring.”  It  attains  a height  of 
twenty  to  thirty  feet,  and  forms  an  umbrella-shaped  top  of  slow 
growth  after  the  first  half  dozen  years.  The  seeds  are  grouped  in 
pairs  on  long  peduncles,  and  in  August  when  ripe  are  of  a dull 
rose-color,  very  abundant,  showy,  and  beautiful.  We  have  nowhere 
seen  it  so  abundant  as  on  Mount  Desert  Island,  in  Maine,  where, 
in  sheltered  valleys  between  abrupt  granite  hills,  it  forms  a part 
of  every  copse-wood.  We  believe  it  will  be  found  a tree  of  such 
peculiar  habit  as  to  be  interesting  among  other  maples,  and  worth 
much  more  attention  than  it  has  received  from  planters.  Its  small 
size  at  maturity,  and  quick  growth  in  its  earlier  years,  recommend 
it  to  persons  forming  a collection  of  maples  for  a small  place. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


347 


The  Spike-flowered  or  Mountain  Maple,  Acer  spicatum , is 
another  dwarf  American  species,  native  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains, 
and  valued  in  England  for  its  autumn  beauty,  caused  by  the  rose- 
color  of  its  large  pendulous  spikes  of  winged  seeds.  Height  fifteen 
to  thirty  feet.  Growth  rapid  when  young. 

The  Sycamore  Maple.  Acer  pseudo  platauus. — A large,  hand- 
some tree,  native  of  Europe,  of  more  rapid  upright  growth  than 
our  sugar  maple.  The  bark  of  its  young  wood  is  ash-colored  and 
remarkably  smooth.  The  foliage  has  the  same  cleanly  luxuriance 
that  distinguishes  our  sugar  maple,  and  the  leaves  are  a little 
larger.  In  England  it  becomes  a tree  of  the  largest  size  in  sixty 
or  seventy  years,  and  its  trunk  attains  a great  size  in  propor- 
tion to  its  age.  There  are  specimens  there  nearly  a hundred  feet 
high,  and  six  to  nine  feet  diameter  of  trunk.  We  do  not  know  of 
any  great  trees  of  it  in  this  country.  Loudon  says  that  it  will 
grow  on  exposed  situations,  and  especially  on  the  seacoast,  and 
maintain  its  erect  position  against  the  sea-breeze  better  than  most 
other  trees,  and  that  it  is  especially  adapted  to  plant  around  houses 
located  on  bleak  hills,  as  it  rarely  shows  any  one-sidedness  of 
growth  in  consequence  of  the  action  of  the  winds.  The  four  fol- 
lowing varieties  of  the  sycamore  maple  are  all  valuable : 

The  Guelder-rose-leaved  Maple,  A.  p.  opulifolium , is  a 
smaller,  globular,  dense-leaved  variety,  native  of  the  mountains  of 
France  and  Spain.  A small  tree. 

The  Purple-leaved  Maple.  A . p.  purpurea . — The  leaves 
are  purplish  beneath,  and  the  stalks  of  a bright  dark-red.  The 
foliage  is  vigorous  and  healthy.  “ The  tree  has  a very  fine  appear- 
ance when  the  leaves  are  slightly  ruffled  by  the  wind,  alternately 
appearing  clothed  in  purple  and  pale  green.  In  spring,  when  the 
leaves  first  expand,  the  purple  bloom  is  not  obvious ; but  when 
they  become  matured  it  is  very  distinct  ” (. Arboretum  Britaiinicum). 
A large  tree,  every  way  desirable. 

The  White  Variegated-leaved  Maple.  A.  p.  alba  varie- 
gala. — The  silver-striped  leaved  of  some  nurseries.  This  is  con- 
sidered the  most  ornamental  of  all  the  variegated-leaved  maples, 
especially  in  the  spring  when  the  leaves  first  expand.  Small  sped- 


348 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


mens  that  are  growing  in  this  country  fully  confirm  this  estimate  of 
its  beauty.  Its  variegation  is  not  uniform  on  the  leaves,  but  here 
and  there  an  entire  twig  has  white  leaves,  and  single  leaves  mot- 
tled with  white  appear  occasionally  among  the  green  leaves,  so  that 
the  effect  is  pleasing,  and  does  not  convey  the  impression  of 
diseased  foliage.  A large  tree. 

The  Yellow- variegated  or  Gold-leaved  Maple,  A.  p.  flava 
variegata  (and  aurea , of  different  nurserymen).  A healthy  variety 
with  some  of  its  leaves  a pure  light  yellow,  and  occasionally  mottled. 
An  exceedingly  beautiful  warm  toned,  and  healthy  variety,  that 
makes  a charming  contrast  with  the  purple-leaved  maple,  and  in 
the  spring  is  certainly  one  of  the  finest  of  trees. 

The  Norway  Maple.  Acer  platanoides. — This  species  has  a 
more  vigorous  growth  than  the  sugar  maple,  and  a similar  formality 
of  contour.  Its  leaves  are  also  similar,  but  larger  and  thicker,  and 
not  so  profusely  set  upon  the  twigs.  The  head  is  also  somewhat 
rounder,  and  the  young  wood  stouter ; but  an  observer  not  critical 
in  trees  might  easily  mistake  it  for  the  sugar  maple.  The  differ- 
ence in  the  rapidity  of  their  growth  is  not  so  great  as  was  formerly 
supposed.  The  bark  on  the  young  shoots  is  green,  afterwards  a 
brownish  red,  dotted  with  white  points.  The  buds  are  large  and 
red  in  autumn,  and  grow  to  a darker  red  in  winter.  The  leaves  in 
autumn  turn  sometimes  to  a fine  yellow,  and  at  others  to  a brilliant 
red,  and  are  always  well  colored. 

The  Cut-leaved  or  Eagle’s  Claw  Maple,  Acer  p.  lacinia- 
tum,  is  a variety  of  the  Norway  maple,  with  very  deeply-lobed 
and  sharp-pointed  leaves, — a mere  leaf  curiosity  in  a collection 
of  maples. 

Lobel’s  Maple,  A.  p.  lobelia  is  an  Italian  variety  of  medium 
size,  with  smaller  and  more  obtuse  leaves  of  a pea-green  color, 
which  hang  late  in  the  fall. 

The  Shred-leaved  Maple,  Acer  dissectum , is  a new  Japan 
variety,  with  leaves  divided  down  to  the  base  into  nine  or  ten  lobes, 
that  hang  almost  like  separate  leaves.  Its  foliage  in  the  nursery 
is  profuse,  and  a vivid  glossy  green ; but  of  its  more  mature  de- 
velopment we  cannot  speak. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


349 


The  Great-leaved  Maple.  Acer  macrophyllum. — In  the 
valley  of  the  Columbia  river  this  is  described  as  one  of  the  grandest 
and  most  beautiful  trees  of  the  country,  attaining  a height  of  from 
forty  to  ninety  feet,  and  of  a graceful  spreading  form.  We  have 
heard  of  no  specimen  of  much  size  in  the  older  States.  It  is  re- 
ported tender  at  Rochester  in  Ellwanger  and  Barry’s  nursery  when 
first  planted,  but  likely  to  be  hardy  when  deeply  rooted.  The 
leaves  resemble  those  of  the  sugar  maple  in  form,  but  are  triple 
the  size. 

English  Field  Maple.  Acer  ccimpes- 
tris. — “This  is  a beautiful  compact,  round- 
headed  tree,  or  rather  bush,  rarely  exceeding 
twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  in  height,  and  if 
allowed  to  assume  its  natural  shape,  quite  as 
broad  as  high.  This  tree,  which  is  one  of 
the  most  ornamental  of  the  maples,  is  very 
rarely  to  be  met  with  ; though  common,  we 
believe,  in  our  best  nurseries.  It  is  a tree, 
above  all  others  of  its  kind,  suited  to  small 
lawns,  where  it  should  stand  alone,  or  on  the 
outside  of  loose  gardenesque  groups,  where 
it  is  accessible  on  all  sides ; since  the  charac- 
ter of  its  growth  is  so  regular  and  formal 
(in  shape  of  a bee-hive),  that  it  does  not  harmonize  with  wild  or 
picturesque  plantations,  but  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  house,  or  to  the  more  formal  trees,  like  the  horse- 
chestnut  and  linden.  The  finest  specimens  we  recollect  to  have 
seen  is  at  the  late  Mr.  Downing’s,  which  is  nearly  full  grown ; a 
specimen  at  Wodenethe,  about  fifteen  feet  high,  and  nearly  as  wide, 
is  extremely  beautiful.  The  largest  specimens  in  England  are  at 
Kew,  fifty  years  planted,  twenty-six  feet  high  ; at  Milbury  Park, 

- one  hundred  years  planted,  thirty-eight  feet  high.  It  should  never 
be  trimmed  up  ; on  the  contrary,  if  by  accident  the  lower  limbs  are 
injured  or  lost,  the  tree  should  be  severely  headed  back  to  en- 
courage new  growth  from  the  ground.” — H.  W.  Sargent.  Fig. 
no  represents  a thrifty  young  tree  of  this  species. 


350 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


Montpelier  Maple.  Acer  monspessulanum.—\n  size  and  gen- 
eral appearance  much  resembles  the  preceding,  though  distinct  in 
the  form  of  its  leaves,  which  are  three,  instead  of  five-lobed. 

Round-leaved  Maple.  Acer  circinatum. — A native  of  the 
Pacific  slope  north  of  latitude  430.  From  twenty  to  forty  feet  in 
height.  Loudon  describes  it  thus : “ Branches  slender,  pendu- 
lous and  crooked,  often  taking  root,  etc.  * * * * This  is  a very 
marked  and  beautiful  species.” 

The  Neapolitan  Maple,  Acer  obtusatum , is  a large  variety, 
native  of  the  hills  of  southern  Europe.  Probably  inferior  to  our 
common  native  sorts,  but  worthy  of  a trial  by  professional  tree 
growers. 

The  Tartarian  Maple,  Acer  tartaricum,  a low  deciduous 
tree,  native  of  Tartary.  Height  twenty  to  thirty  feet.  Said  to 
thrive  in  a moist  soil,  and  to  be  the  earliest  maple  in  leaf. 

It  will  be  seen  that,  of  the  maples,  the  silver-leaved  maple,  the 
sycamore,  and  the  macrophyllum , are  the  most  rapid  in  growth  and 
largest ; the  Norway,  sugar  and  scarlet  maples,  and  Neapolitan, 
next  smaller ; and  the  English  field  maple,  the  Montpelier  maple, 
the  round-leaved,  the  Tartarian,  and  the  Moosewood,  the  smallest. 
It  would  require  about  an  acre  of  ground  to  contain  specimen 
trees  of  the  maple  family  alone.  If  one  could  have  the  nerve  to 
reject  all  other  trees  from  the  plantation,  what  a beautiful  family 
circle  it  would  be ! 


THE  WALNUTS.  Juglans. 

The  family  of  walnuts,  as  far  as  we  propose  to  allude  to  them, 
include  what  are  known  as  English  walnuts,  our  own  black  walnut, 
and  butternut,  and  the  sub-family  of  the  hickories  and  the  pecan 
nut,  Carya.  They  are  all  large  trees,  with  pinnate  leaves  and 
edible  nuts. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


351 


The  European  Walnut  or  Madeira  Nut,  Juglans  regia , is 
a tree  somewhat  resembling  our  butternut  in  its  general  appear- 
ance, but  it  is  loftier  and  larger,  and  has  fewer  leaflets  to  the  leaf — 
generally  three  or  four  pairs  and  an  odd  one.  It  comes  into  leaf 
rather  late,  and  drops  its  leaves  early.  Though  greatly  valued  in 
England  and  the  Continent  for  its  beauty  as  well  as  for  its  nuts,  its 
want  of  hardiness  in  the  Northern  States,  and  lack  of  any  peculiar 
beauty  at  the  South,  has  prevented  its  culture  to  any  great  extent 
in  this  country.  South  of  Philadelphia  it  may  be  grown  with 
safety.  Like  the  black  walnut,  its  shade  is  injurious  to  vegetation. 

The  Black  Walnut.  Juglans  nigra. — A tree  of  great  size, 
held  in  high  estimation  of  late  years  for  the  dark  color  and  the 
value  of  its  wood  for  cabinet  purposes.  In  western  forests  its  aver- 
age height  at  maturity  is  about  seventy  feet,  but  specimens  are  not 
unfrequent  one  hundred  feet  high,  with  trunks  from  four  to  five  feet 
in  diameter.  Its  bark  is  very  dark  and  deeply  furrowed.  In  open 
ground  it  becomes  not  only  a tree  of  majestic  size  but  of  marked 
beauty,  from  the  light  color  and  softly  blended  masses  of  its  long 
pinnate  leaves,  each  leaf  having  from  thirteen  to  seventeen  leaflets. 
The  tree  spreads  grandly  with  age,  and  for  park  purposes  would  be 
worthy  of  an  extended  description ; but  as  there  is  something  in 
the  emanations  from  its  leaves  and  roots  injurious  to  trees  near  it, 
and  to  grass  under  it,  this  fault,  and  its  great  size,  unfit  it  for  use 
in  suburban  grounds,  and  make  further  description  needless. 

The  Butternut.  Juglans  cinerea. — This  is  a much  lower 
species  than  the  preceding,  with  lighter  colored  wood,  grayish  bark, 
and  an  oblate  form  like  that  of  the  apple  tree.  With  or  without  its 
leaves,  the  tree  has  a cleanly  domestic  expression.  In  the  color 
and  form  of  its  leaves  it  resembles  the  ailantus  more  than  any 
other  native  tree,  but  its  outline  is  more  formal,  and  the  foliage  is 
thrown  out  with  less  picturesqueness  than  that  of  the  ailantus. 
Full-grown  trees  in  open  ground  rarely  exceed  fifty  feet  in  height 
and  sixty  feet  diameter  of  head.  Its  odor  is  less  powerful  and  its 
presence  less  injurious  to  vegetation  than  that  of  the  black  walnut. 


352 


DECIDUOUS  TREES 


A HICKORY  TREK  IN  THE  GROUNDS  OF  8YLVANUS  PURDY,  ESQ.,  RYE,  N.  Y. 


THE  HICKORY.  Carya. 

The  great  difficulty  of  transplanting  the  hickory,  in  consequence 
of  its  remarkable  tap-root,  which  “strikes  for  the  centre”  with  a 
vigor  and  singleness  of  purpose  peculiar  to  it,  has  made  the  family 
less  popular  for  home  or  street  embellishment  than  it  deserves  to 
be.  The  young  trees  have  scarcely  any  surface  roots  that  enable 
them  to  take  a new  hold  in  the  soil  quickly,  like  elms  and  maples, 
when  they  are  transplanted. 

The  hickories  are  noble  in  their  expression  in  every  stage  of 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


353 


their  growth.  All  of  the  species  become  large  trees,  with  a height 
considerably  greater  than  their  breadth,  and  a squarish  form.  The 
foliage  breaks  into  fine  masses  while  the  tree  is  yet  young,  and  all 
the  characteristics  of  its  head  afterwards  give  it  rank  midway  be- 
tween the  grand  trees  of  which  the  white  oak  is  a type,  and  massy- 
foliaged  trees  like  the  horse-chestnuts  and  the  maples,  which  are 
less  picturesque  in  outline  and  less  boldly  broken  in  lights  and 
shadows.  Its  branches  are  clean,  strong,  and  supple ; not  frittered 
in  monotonous  radiating  lines,  but  rather  given  to  irregularities. 
Its  leafage  is  more  luxuriant  than  that  of  the  oak,  and  makes  a 
deeper  shade.  The  tree  is  little  troubled  by  insects,  except  those 
which  may  be  quickly  and  effectually  dislodged,  like  the  summer 
caterpillar,  which  sometimes  attacks  the  leaves. 

Hickories  are  always  favorites  with  children.  Their  elastic 
limbs  never  snap  treacherously,  and  the  boys  may  climb  upon  them 
or  hang  from  their  tips  with  little  fear  of  a scolding  for  breaking 
the  trees;  and  in  autumn  enjoy  the  sport  of  scrambling  for  the  ear- 
liest nuts,  and  hearing  them  rattle  through  the  branches  after  a 
hard  frost.  Bryant  thus  alludes  to  the  squirrel’s  sports  upon  them  : 

* * * “ Swaying  to  the  sudden  breeze,  ye  fling 
Your  nuts  to  earth,  aud  the  brisk  squirrel  comes 
To  gather  them,  and  barks  with  childish  glee, 

And  scampers  with  them  to  his  hollow  oak.’' 

It  may  be  passing  beyond  a description  of  the  tree  to  suggest  also 
the  pleasant  nibbles — nuts,  apples,  and  cider — by  the  winter’s  fire 
and  the  cheerful  central  lamp  ! 

The  hickory  has  two  marked  faults  when  compared  with  certain 
favored  trees.  Its  leaves  come  out  quite  late  in  the  spring ; not 
later,  however,  than  those  of  the  oak  and  ash.  The  leaf-buds  begin 
to  break  later  than  those  of  the  oak,  but  when  once  started  they 
burst  into  full  expansion  more  rapidly.  In  autumn  the  leaves  drop 
with  the  first  hard  frost,  falling  dry  and  clean,  easy  to  gather,  or 
quick  to  be  blown  away ; but  the  shells  from  which  the  nuts  drop 
out  as  they  fall,  are  troublesome  in  a lawn ; not  easy  to  mow  over 
or  to  rake  out. 

The  leaves  of  some  varieties  turn  to  a dull  yellow  color  before 
they  fall,  but  pleasing  autumn  tints  are  not  common  among  them. 

23 


354 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


The  different  species  of  the  hickory  vary  from  one  another  less 
in  their  appearance,  as  they  grow  old,  than  most  other  trees. 
While  young  the  differences  are  more  marked,  but  when  the  trees 
are  from  thirty  to  fifty  years  old,  all  have  the  same  general  charac- 
teristics of  forms  and  shadows  when  seen  from  a distance — the 
variations  in  their  bark  being  the  most  marked  difference  between 
them. 

The  following  are  the  principal  varieties — all  natives  of  our 
country : 


Fig.  hi. 


gularly  scaly, 
quently  drops 


The  Shell-bark  Hickory.  Carya  alba. — This  species  is  not 
excelled  in  beauty  of  leaf  or  form  by  any  of 
the  others,  and  excels  them  all  in  the  quality  of 
its  nut,  the  toughness  and  value  of  its  wood  in 
the  arts,  and  its  superiority  over  all  other  woods 
for  fuel.  But  though  hard  and  heavy,  and 
strong  beyond  other  timber,  no  wood  rots 
quicker  when  exposed  to  moisture.  When 
young  the  bark  is  smooth ; but  after  the  wood  is 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  years  old  it  is  generally 
distinguished  from  the  other  hickories  by  its  sin- 
or  laminate  outer  bark,  which,  on  old  trees,  fre- 
off  in  broad  pieces  from  two  to  four  feet  in  length, 
and  from  one-eighth  to  a quarter  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  or  may  be 
pulled  off  readily  without  injury  to  the  tree.  This  bark  is  of  a cin- 
namon-brown color  on  the  inside,  is  full  of  oil,  and  valued  above 
all  other  kindlings  for  the  quick,  bright,  hot  fire  it  makes. 

The  tree  grows  rapidly,  and  when  young  the  leaves  are  very 
large  ; each  leaf  being  composed  of  five  leaflets  (rarely  seven),  those 
of  the  terminal  triplet  being  usually  from  five  to  seven  inches 
long,  but  much  larger  in  thrifty  young  trees,  and  smaller  in  old 
trees.  Their  color  is  a deep  glossy  green — darker  than  most  trees. 
The  nuts  are  whiter  and  thinner  shelled  than  those  of  other  species, 
and  about  an  inch  in  longest  diameter ; but  there  is  much  differ- 
ence, as  in  fruit  trees,  between  different  trees  of  the  same  species,  in 
the  size  and  quality  of  the  nut.  All  things  considered  this  is  de- 
cidedly the  most  valuable  of  the  hickories.  On  page  352  we  give  a 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


355 


good  portrait  of  the  finest  hickory  of  this  species  we  know  of  in  this 
country,  growing  on  the  farm  of  Sylvanus  Purdy,  Esq.,  in  Rye,  N.  Y., 
near  the  village  of  Mamaroneck.  It  is  about  eighty  feet  high,  ninety 
feet  across  the  spread  of  its  branches,  and  has  borne  fourteen 
bushels  of  shelled  nuts  in  one  season ! The  upright  growth  on  the 
left  is  a part  of  the  tree  which  has  taken  a new  upright  direction. 

The  Thick-shelled-nut  Hickory.  C.  sulcata  and  C.  tomen- 
tcsa  maxima. — This  is  the  tree  which  bears  the  large  oblong  nut  of 
commerce,  and  the  thickness  of  its  shell  suggests  the  name.  Its 
bark  is  somewhat  scaly,  but  in  thicker  and  narrower  sections  than 
that  of  the  shell-bark  hickory,  and  not  so  easy  to  detach  from  the 
tree ; it  is  also  much  rougher  on  young  trees.  The  leaves  are  the 
largest  of  any  of  the  hickories.  Each  leaf  is  composed  of  from 
seven  to  nine  leaflets.  The  nuts  are  squarish-oblong,  from  one  and 
a quarter  to  two  inches  in  length,  with  thick  yellowish-white  shells, 
but  fine  flavored.  As  an  ornamental  tree  it  has  the  same  charac- 
teristics as  the  preceding.  Nuttall  and  Michaux  describe  what  is 
popularly  known  as  the  thick-shelled  hickory  in  two  species,  both 
of  which  we  give  in  connection  with  the  popular  name  for  both. 

The  Pig-nut  Hickory.  C.  porcina. — This  species  is  distin- 
guished by  its  smaller  leaves  and  fruit ; the  latter  not  being 
marketable,  though  good  food  for  hogs,  who  crunch  and  eat  the 
shell  and  meat  together.  Its  bark  when  quite  young  is  smooth, 
and  then  resembles  the  shell-bark  hickory ; but  about  the  age  when 
the  latter  begins  to  show  its  laminate  character,  the  former  breaks 
into  fine  hard  shallow  furrows,  and  is  not  at  all  disposed  to  laminate. 
Its  branches  are  rather  more  numerous  and  straighter  than  the 
other  hickories ; but  with  age  its  foliage  breaks  into  the  same 
forms,  and  is  as  fine  as  any  of  the  others.  Its  leaves  are  usually 
formed  of  seven  leaflets,  smaller  and  slenderer  than  the  preceding 
species.  The  foliage  is  also  rather  lighter  colored,  and  the  aspect 
of  the  tree  when  young  is  less  robust.  It  grows  most  naturally  in 
moist  ground,  and  there  becomes  a lofty  tree. 

The  Bitter-nut  Hickory,  and  the  Water  Bitter-nut  Hick- 
ory, C.  amara  and  C.  aquaticai  are  similar  to  the  foregoing,  the 


356 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


latter  having  still  smaller  and  more  numerous  leaflets,  numbering 
from  nine  to  eleven  on  each  leaf. 

The  C.  microcarpa  is  a variety  closely  resembling  the  shell-bark 
hickory  in  its  leaves,  which,  though  smaller,  are  composed  of  five 
leaflets,  and  in  its  small  thin-shelled  nut ; but  its  bark  is  like  that 
of  the  thick-shelled  hickory.  It  is  abundant  in  the  forests  of  New 
Jersey  and  Pennsylvania. 

The  Pecan-nut,  C.  olivczformis , is  not  found  much  north  of 
the  Ohio  river  valley;  south,  it  becomes  a large  and  beautiful 
tree.  Its  nuts  are  long,  pointed,  and  thin-shelled,  and  considered 
by  some  persons  the  most  delicate  of  all  the  hickories.  We  do 
not  consider  them  any  better  than  those  of  the  shell-bark  hickory. 
The  tree  resembles  the  water  bitter-nut  hickory,  with  thirteen  to 
fifteen  leaflets  to  the  leaf. 

THE  ASH.  Fraxinus. 

The  ash  is  a common  forest  tree  all  over  the  United  States,  but 
its  varieties  are  less  interesting  than  those  of  many  other  species. 
In  the  forest  the  trees  are  lofty,  with  straight  stems  and  slender 
limbs.  In  open  ground  they  are  generally  round-headed  or 
ovate,  of  tolerably  abundant  foliage,  but  late  in  leaf,  and  less 
pleasing  in  color  than  many  other  trees.  It  is  also  noted  for  ex- 
hausting the  soil  to  such  an  extent  as  to  injure  the  lawn  under  its 
branches. 

The  White  Ash.  F.  americana . — This  is  the  finest  and  loftiest 
of  the  family.  It  has  a straight  trunk,  occasionally  rising  in  the 
forest  to  one  hundred  feet,  with  light-colored  or  gray  bark,  latticed 
into  ridges  and  deep  furrows.  The  branches  are  clean,  straight, 
numerous,  and  rarely  large,  and  issue  from  the  trunk  at  an  acute 
angle. 

It  is  a refined,  but  not  a majestic  tree,  without  its  leaves.  In 
leaf  it  is  occasionally  a superb  tree,  symmetrically  globular  or  ovate, 
with  abundant  foliage,  of  a dull  or  bluish-green  color.  The  head 
does  not  break  into  fine  masses  until  the  tree  is  old.  In  autumn 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


357 


the  leaves  change  to  a deep  brownish-purple,  and  it  is  then,  in  con- 
trast with  the  brighter  colors  of  the  maples  and  other  gay-leaved 
autumn  trees,  a valuable  addition  to  the  landscape.  It  requires  a 
deep,  warm,  dry  soil.  No  soil  is  considered  poor  or  cold  on  which 
the  white  ash  grows  abundantly,  while  the  black  ash  is  equally 
noted  for  being  at  home  in  wet  ground.  We  have  known  large 
trees  of  the  white  ash  much  injured  by  excessive  cold ; and  infer 
that  it  will  not  be  a good  tree  to  plant  in  exposed  situations  at  the 
north,  though  usually  considered  a perfectly  hardy  tree. 

The  Black  Ash.  F scimbucifolia. — A tree  of  medium  size ; 
from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  high  in  the  forests,  and  forty  to  fifty  feet  in 
open  ground.  Its  bark  is  darker  and  less  deeply  furrowed  than 
that  of  the  white  ash,  and  its  limbs  are  less  regular  in  their  growth. 
The  foliage  is  brighter  colored,  and  in  damp,  open  ground,  quite  as 
abundant.  Its  autumn  foliage  has  no  beauty,  and  as  it  comes  late 
in  leaf,  this  variety  has  no  special  value  for  ornamental  planting. 

The  other  varieties  of  native  ash  are  the  F pubescens , downy 
ash ; the  F quadrangulata , blue  ash ; the  F juglandijlora , green 
ash  ; the  F caroliniana , Carolina  ash ; and  the  F platycarpa,  broad- 
fruited  ash.  The  green  ash  is  a large  tree  with  brighter-colored 
leaves  than  the  other  varieties.  The  characteristics  of  the  others, 
in  open  ground ’ we  are  not  familiar  with.  A few  of  the  foreign 
varieties  of  ash  are  more  interesting  for  small  grounds. 

The  ash  trees  of  England  are  mostly  of  the  species  known 
as  the  Fraxinus  excelsior , which  is  so  nearly  the  same  as  our  white 
ash  that  a description  of  one  will  apply  to  the  other.  The  follow- 
ing are  varieties  of  the  F excelsior : 

The  Weeping  Ash,  Fraxmus  excelsior pendula , is  occasionally 
a beautiful  tree,  with  a decidedly  picturesque  and  rambling  as  well 
as  pendulous  habit ; but  fine  specimens  are  not  common  in  this 
country.  It  needs  an  unusually  warm,  rich,  and  deeply-drained 
soil.  We  remember  one  in  the  old  Garden  of  Plants  in  Paris,  the 
trunk  of  which  formed  the  central  support  of  a large  summer-house, 
with  branches  falling  over  the  thatched  roof  on  all  sides,  and 
draping  it  to  the  ground  with  their  foliage.  It  is  always  grafted  on 


358 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


some  erect  variety  of  ash,  from  seven  to  ten  feet  above  the  ground, 
and  becomes  a tree  of  considerable  size,  and  usually  of  more 
breadth  than  height.  It  is  inferior  in  beauty  to  the  following  weep- 
ing variety  of  the  ash. 

The  Golden  Ash,  F.  aurea , and  the  Weeping  Golden 
Ash,  F.  aurea  pendula , are  warmly  commended  by  Sargent,  the 
latter  as  “quite  as  hardy,  and  a great  improvement  on  the  old 
weeping  ash.” 

The  Aucuba-leaved  Ash,  F aucubafolia , is  a variegated-leaved 
variety  that  is  quite  striking  in  the  spring  and  early  summer,  when 
the  yellow  spots  on  its  leaves  give  it  the  appearance  of  a tree  in 
flower.  It  is  apt  to  lose  its  beauty  in  the  heat  of  summer. 

The  Gold-spotted-leaved  Ash,  F punctata , is  another  varie- 
gated-leaved variety,  considered  by  some  superior  in  the  brightness 
of  its  colors  to  the  foregoing. 

The  Variegated  Willow-leaved,  F.  salicifolia  variegata,  has 
brightly-marked  white  and  green  leaves  in  the  spring,  which,  how- 
ever, turn  to  a dirty  brown  in  the  summer. 

There  are  many  new  varieties  in  the  great  nurseries,  that 
are  not  yet  sufficiently  grown  to  enable  one  to  judge  of  their 
merits. 

The  Ash-leaved  Negundo,  Ash-leaved  Maple,  and  Box 
Elder.  Negundo  fraxinifolium.  Acer  negundo. — This  pretty  na- 
tive tree,  found  growing  on  the 
mountains  of  the  middle  States, 
is  one  of  the  small  trees  well 
adapted  to  small  grounds,  and  still 
but  little  known.  It  is  allied  to 
both  the  maple  and  the  ash  fami- 
lies, having  seeds  like  the  former, 
and  pinnate  leaves,  as  shown  by 
our  Fig.  n 2,  like  the  latter;  or 
more  still  like  those  of  the  elder 
family.  The  leaves  are  composed 
of  five  leaflets  on  a long  petiole, 
and  are  of  a bluish  or  pale-green 


Fig.  iiz. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


359 


color.  The  branches  spring  close  to  the  ground,  and  form  a low, 
loose,  wide-spreading  head.  The  seeds  are  borne  conspicuously 
in  autumn,  and  add  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  tree.  The  leaves 
die  off  a rich  yellow.  Naked  young  wood  smooth  and  pea-green, 
with  long  spaces  between  the  buds.  Usual  height  and  breadth 
about  twenty  feet.  The.  tree  grows  rapidly,  and  is  not  long-lived. 

The  Curled  Ash-leaved  Negundo,  N.  crispum,  is  princi- 
pally marked  by  curled  leaves,  and  has  no  superior  beauty. 

THE  POPLAR.  Populus. 

The  poplars  are  all  remarkable  for  a more  or  less  tremulous 
motion  of  their  leaves.  All  are  rapid  growers,  some  species  ex- 
ceeding all  other  native  trees  in  this  quality.  We  have  seen  a 
cottonwood,  Populus  canadensis , spring  from  the  seed  and  attain  a 
height  of  sixty  feet  in  twenty  years. 

The  smaller  species,  such  as  the  aspen,  are  short-lived  trees, 
and  their  greatest  beauty  is  attained  young.  A moist,  warm  soil 
suits  them  best. 

The  species  of  poplar  are  very  numerous,  and  we  shall  de- 
scribe only  a few  which  have  the  most  distinct  character,  or  which, 
from  their  abundant  distribution,  should  be  known.  All  have 
catkins  or  blossoms  which  appear  in  the  spring  before  the  leaves, 
many  of  them  with  cottony  attachments.  They  are  not  ornamental, 
and  are  often  annoying,  while  floating  in  the  air,  or  scattered  on 
the  ground. 

The  following  are  the  most  prominent  among  the  poplars  : 

The  American  Aspen.  P.  tremula  t'repida. — This  is  the 
American  type  of  that  trembling  sensitiveness  to  every  breath  of 
air  which  has  made  its  English  prototype  the  theme  of  a thousand 
poetic  similes.  Its  small  heart-shaped  leaves,  vibrating  on  slender 
* petioles,  seem  to  be  ever  in  a buzz  of  excitement.  No  tree  in  the 
forest  comes  earlier  into  leaf,  although  the  buckeye  displays  greater 
massiveness  of  early  foliage.  The  exquisitely-delicate  green  of  its 
first  leaves  is  one  of  the  most  charming  sights  of  the  spring,  while 
all  through  the  summer  their  murmuring  vibrations  never  cease 


360 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


to  be  interesting.  As  the  foliage  is  not  dense,  the  tree  is  not  de- 
sirable to  plant  for  shade,  but  should  be  placed  where  it  will  be 
conspicuous  in  the  spring,  with  a back-ground  of  heavier  foliage  in 
summer  and  autumn. 

The  aspen  sheds  its  leaves  early,  but  they  often  turn  a pleasing 
yellow  before  they  fall  that  renders  them  quite  ornamental.  The 
growth  is  rapid  in  good  soils,  giving  the  tree  a pyramidal  form 
when  young,  and  a symmetrically  irregular  outline  at  maturity.  It 
rarely  exceeds  forty  feet  in  height.  The  branches  and  twigs  have 
a grayish  hue,  and  the  older  bark  is  spotted  with  black.  The  outer 
branches  are  slightly  pendulous  as  the  tree  grows  old. 

The  English  Aspen,  P.  tremula , is  very  much  like  the  pre- 
ceding, but  comes  into  leaf  a few  days  later,  and  is  not  so  pretty  a 
tree. 

The  Weeping  English  Aspen,  P.  t.  pendulci,  is  a variety  that 
has  long  been  known  in  England,  and  has  been  grown  for  a few 
years  in  this  country ; but  we  have  seen  no  well-grown  specimens, 
and  cannot,  therefore,  describe  it. 

The  American  Tooth-leaved  Poplar,  or  Large  Aspen, 
P.  grandidenta , is  a variety  with  larger,  rounder,  and  more  scolloped 
leaves,  and  stronger  growth,  which  comes  into  leaf  much  later  than 
the  first  described  aspen,  and  is  less  pleasing  in  all  respects.  An 
irregularly  round-headed  tree,  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  in  height,  and 
short-lived. 

The  Weeping  Poplar,  P g.  pendula , is  a variety  of  the  pre- 
ceding species  that  has  recently  been  much  praised.  It  is  proba- 
bly an  interesting  and  picturesque  tree,  and  to  be  preferred  in 
planting  to  the  common  forms  of  the  species. 

The  Cottonwood  or  Canadian  Poplar.  P.  canadensis. — 
This,  we  believe,  is  the  largest  of  the  family,  often  attaining  one 
hundred  feet  in  height.  It  forms  entire  forests  in  portions  of  the 
west,  some  of  which  are  known  as  cottonwood  swamps,  though  the 
soil  in  which  they  grow  is  always  warm  rich  land  when  drained. 
Its  growth  is  the  most  rapid  and  coarse  when  young  of  any  of  the 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


361 


poplars — a character  that  unsuits  it  for  small  grounds,  and  adapts 
it  to  large  spaces  where  it  is  desirable  to  have  a quick,  lofty  growth 
of  trees.  For  some  reason,  however,  the  best  English  gardeners 
prefer  the  black  Italian  poplar  for  the  same  purpose — a variety  or 
species  supposed  to  be  a cross  between  this  species  and  the  black 
poplar  of  Europe. 

This  tree  has  been  appropriately  named  cottonwood  from  the 
quantity  of  cotton  enveloping  its  seeds,  which  in  May  becomes 
detached  and  floats  in  the  air  in  such  quantities  where  the  tree 
abounds  as  to  be  a great  nuisance  at  that  season. 

In  its  early  growth  the  cottonwood  is  simply  rank,  upright,  and 
uninteresting ; but  after  it  has  reached  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  height, 
its  branches  begin  to  bend  gracefully,  the  foliage  breaks  into  fine 
rounded  masses,  and  it  spreads  into  a park  tree  of  noble  propor- 
tions. It  should  never  be  planted  near  dwellings  or  in  streets. 

The  Black  Poplar,  P.  ?tigrai  of  England,  is  said  to  resemble 
our  cottonwood  in  most  respects. 

The  Black  Italian  Poplar.  P.  monilifera. — It  is  in  doubt 
whether  this  is,  or  is  not,  a native  of  America.  The  fact  that 
neither  of  the  indefatigable  Michaux  found  it  wild  in  America,  and 
that  its  characteristics  unite  those  of  the  cottonwood  and  some  of 
the  European  poplars,  makes  it  probable  that  it  is  a hybrid  between 
them.  In  form  and  vigor  of  growth  it  is  like  the  cottonwood.  An 
English  specimen  is  recorded  as  having  attained  the  height  of 
ninety  feet  twenty-five  years  after  planting ! This  in  Worcester- 
shire. At  the  Syon  Park,  England,  there  is  a tree  of  this  species 
one  hundred  and  two  feet  high,  and  about  one  hundred  feet  in 
breadth  of  head. 

The  Balm  of  Gilead  Poplar.  Populus  candicans. — This  is  a 
tree  of  great  vigor  of  growth,  with  large  conspicuous  buds  covered 
with  balsamic  gum.  The  leaves  are  nearly  heart-shaped,  from  five 
to  eight  inches  long,  glossy  on  the  upper  surface,  and  downy  be- 
neath. The  form  of  the  head  when  young  is  pyramidal,  more  com- 
pact than  that  of  the  cottonwood,  and  becomes  a spreading  tree  of 
less  height.  The  leaves  appear  two  weeks  later  than  those  of  our 
native  aspen. 


362 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


« 

The  Balsam-bearing  Poplar  or  Tacamahac.  P.  balsami- 
fera. — Curiously  enough,  though  we  have  lived  in  the  States  where 
this  tree  is  said  to  be  indigenous,  we  do  not  know  that  we  have 
ever  seen  it.  Loudon  thus  describes  it : “ The  balsam  poplar,  in 
the  climate  of  London,  is  the  very  first  tree  that  comes  into  leaf; 
its  foliage  is  of  a rich  gamboge  yellow,  and  so  fragrant  as  in  moist 
evenings  to  perfume  the  surrounding  air.  The  tree  is  remarkably 
hardy,  but,  unless  in  the  vicinity  of  water,  it  seldom  attains  a large 
size  in  England,  or  is  of  great  duration.” 

It  is  very  distinct  from  the  Balm  of  Gilead  poplar — having 
smaller  and  much  narrower  leaves,  of  ovate-acuminate  form.  It 
grows  from  fifty  to  eighty  feet  in  height. 

The  White  or  Silver  Poplar,  or  Silver  Abele  Tree.  P. 
alba.  P.  alba  canescetis. — This  European  or  Asiatic  species  has 
been  deservedly  the  most  popular  tree  of  the  poplar  family  for 
the  past  twenty  years.  Contrary  to  our  early  impressions  of  it,  it 
improves  on  acquaintance.  It  is  the  most  spreading  of  poplars, 
of  the  largest  size,  exceedingly  rapid  growth,  and,  as  far  as  we  have 
observed,  quite  healthy.  Its  leaves  are  of  a deep  bright-green 
color  on  the  upper  surface,  and  have  a white  down  on  the  under 
side,  which,  instead  of  disappearing  as  the  season  advances,  as  is 
the  case  on  most  leaves  of  this  kind,  seems  to  grow  whiter,  and  in 
the  summer  and  autumn  breezes  the  tree  glows  as  with  myriads  of 
great  quivering  white  blossoms. 

The  silver  poplar  comes  into  leaf  later  than  the  maples  and 
earlier  than  the  oaks,  and  holds  its  leaves  later  than  any  of  the 
other  poplars.  In  fact,  it  is  in  its  glory  in  September  and  early  in 
October.  It  has  but  one  serious  fault  to  prevent  its  being  one  of 
the  most  desirable  wide-street  or  large-lawn  trees,  viz.,  its  tendency 
to  sucker  or  sprout  from  the  root.  On  a lawn  kept  properly 
mowed,  this  tendency  would  not  be  very  annoying,  but  in  or  near 
cultivated  ground,  or  where  the  sprouts  are  once  allowed  to  get  a 
good  start,  they  are  quite  troublesome.  The  dead  leaves,  too,  are 
disposed  to  absorb  dampness  from  the  ground  and  rot  where  they 
lie.  They  should,  therefore,  be  raked  and  put  on  the  compost  heap 
as  soon  as  they  have  fallen. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


363 


The  form  of  the  silver  poplar  is  irregularly  squarish,  its  foliage 
abundant  and  massy,  and  its  branches  light-colored,  and  of  an 
ashy-green  hue,  smooth,  and  cheerful-looking  in  winter.  It  grows 
luxuriantly  in  almost  any  good  moist  soil,  and  become^  a spreading 
tree  of  great  size  in  less  time  than  any  healthy  tree  we  know  of. 
Cuttings  from  this  tree  take  root  freely,  and  make  good  trees ; but  it 
is  usually  grown  from  suckers.  It  is  said  to  be  a longer-lived  tree 
than  others  of  its  species.  For  wide  avenues,  or  to  stand  out  on  a 
lawn,  it  is  a superb  tree,  especially  where  the  subsoil  is  a rich  moist 
clay.  But  it  takes  up  too  much  room  to  be  suitable  on  any  small 
grounds.  We  know  of  no  tree  that  will  so  quickly  make  a noble 
shade  for  pasture  fields. 

The  Lombardy  Poplar.  P.  fastigiata. — This  model  of  a syl- 
van sentinel  is  one  of  the  most  peculiar  of  trees ; having  the  least 
diameter  of  head  in  proportion  to  its  height  of  any  tree  known. 
This  slender  form  has  made  it  most  useful  in  landscape  gardening; 
its  spiry  top  being  employed  to  form  a central  point  in  groups  of 
trees,  a back-ground  relief  to  level-lined  architecture,  or  to  break, 
with  its  exceptional  erectness,  the  more  monotonous  outlines  of 
other  trees.  When  first  introduced  into  this  country  the  rage  for 
it  was  so  great  that  town  streets,  and  country  roads,  and  farm-house 
yards,  were  everywhere  filled  with  them ; but  familiarity  has  bred 
contempt.  It  has  been  found  that,  though  a tree  of  most  original 
and  picturesque  character,  it  is  not  comparable  to  our  native  trees 
in  variety  of  beauty,  in  usefulness  as  a shade  tree,  in  cleanliness,  or 
in  healthfulness.  Worms  on  the  foliage,  and  borers  in  the  wood, 
love  the  tree  and  kill  it.  It  has  become  so  unhealthy  that  it  is  not 
safe  to  plant  one  near  the  house,  where  its  dirty  fallen  leaves  would 
be  annoying  even  wrere  it  a healthy  tree  free  from  worms.  But  its 
club-like  form,  and  the  vertical  shadow  lines  of  its  foliage,  are  so 
unique,  and  contrast  so  picturesquely  now  and  then  with  round- 
headed  groups  of  trees,  that  we  must  still  use  it,  away  from  the 
house,  in  ornamental  plantations.  And  it  may  be  that  the  plagues 
which  have  infested  it  will  diminish,  and  yet  leave  the  Lombardy 
poplar  with  its  normal  beauty.  In  Italy,  and  in  England,  it  is  one 
of  the  loftiest  of  trees,  attaining  a height  of  from  one  hundred  to 


364 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  There  is  a noble  old  specimen  north 
of  the  Casino,  in  the  New  York  Central  Park,  which  exhibits  all 
the  beauties  and  faults  of  the  species. 

There  are  many  other  species  and  varieties  of  poplars  which 
are  not  distinguished  by  peculiarities  or  merits  that  make  it  desira- 
ble to  enumerate  them. 

THE  WHITEWOOD  OR  TULIP  TREE.  Liriode?idron 

tulipifera. 

A tree  of  lofty  stature,  straight  and  erect  trunk,  and  exceeding 
beauty  of  foliage.  In  its  early  growth  the  beauty  of  its  leaves, 


lar  and  symmetrical,  lofty  and  graceful.  The  play  of  light  and 
shade  among  the  openings  of  its  boughs  is  similar  in  expres- 
sion to  that  which  Loudon  (as  quoted  on  page  385)  has  char- 
acterized in  describing  the  foliage  of  the  European  plane  tree  : 
though  that  of  the  whitewood  forms  into  somewhat  more  rounded 
masses.  The  leaves  burst  their  buds  about  a week  later  than 
those  of  the  sugar  maple.  They  are  from  five  to  eight  inches 
in  width,  and  of  a peculiarly  square  form,  as  will  be  seen  from 
the  above  cut.  In  texture  and  color  they  are  of  that  perfect  type 


FiG.  11 3 


which  are  of  singular  form,  their  unusual 
purity  of  color  and  perfect  texture,  and  the 
smooth  and  symmetric  growth  of  the  trunk 
and  branches,  all  combine  to  form  an  ele- 
gant tree.  Yet  its  head  does  not  usually 
break  into  such  dense  masses  of  verdure  as 
those  of  the  maples,  the  horse-chestnuts, 
and  the  hickories.  Fig.  113  shows  a re- 
markably pretty  specimen  of  a whitewood, 
about  twenty  years  old,  and  gives  the  forms 
of  the  leaves,  flowers,  and  seed-vessels.  As 
it  becomes  an  old  tree,  the  branches  bend 
in  downward  sweep,  rising  at  their  extrem- 
ities, and  tending  somewhat  to  unequal 
lengths,  form  an  outline  at  once  irregu- 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


365 


that  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired ; and  in  autumn  they  turn  to  a 
yellow  color  almost  as  pure  as  their  summer  green,  and  then  fall 
with  those  of  the  maple,  strewing  the  ground  with  beautiful  color. 
The  flowers  appear  in  J une,  of  the  size  and  form  of  tulips,  a 
greenish-yellow  color  outside,  and  orange  and  yellow  within.  As 
the  blossoms  are  upright,  or  nearly  so,  their  brightest  colors  are 
not  seen  from  below,  so  that  the  flowers  are  less  showy  as  usually 
seen  on  the  tree,  than  their  size  and  warmth  of  color  when  ex- 
amined separately  would  lead  one  to  suppose.  If  one  could  look 
down  upon  the  top  of  the  tree,  when  in  full  bloom,  it  would  be  a 
superb  sight.  The  seed-vessels  which  succeed  the  blossoms  are  in 
the  form  of  a cone  about  two  inches  in  length.  After  the  leaves 
fall  the  cones  open  and  drop  their  seeds,  but  remain  for  many 
weeks  upon  the  tree,  their  yellowish-brown  hue  giving  them  a re- 
semblance to  blossoms. 

As  a timber-tree  the  whitewood  is  remarkable  above  all  other 
deciduous  trees  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  for  the  straightness, 
length,  and  size  of  its  trunk.  The  author  has  seen  a piece  of 
whitewood  timber  grown  in  the  valley  of  the  Maumee  which  squared 
forty-eight  by  fifty-four  inches,  and  sixty  feet  long;  and  trees  are  not 
uncommon  which  have  one  hundred  feet  in  length  of  straight 
timber.  Indeed,  the  trunk  of  a forest  grown  whitewood  is  one  of 
the  noblest  of  sylvan  sights  ; towering  erectly  without  a branch  like 
the  redwood  of  California,  to  a great  height.  The  bark  is  of  a 
light  color  and  soft  texture,  and  divided  into  deep  and  lattice-like 
ridges  and  furrows,  much  like  that  of  the  white  ash. 

Singularly  enough,  the  whitewood  seems  to  be  the  only  tree  of 
the  species ; and  though  allied  in  traits  to  the  numerous  magnolia 
family  on  one  side,  and  the  more  numerous  poplar  family  on 
the  other,  it  stands  the  unique  representative  of  its  family. 

The  whitewood  is  not  tenacious  of  life  when  transplanted ; and 
we  advise  persons  who  wish  to  grow  them  to  choose  nursery  grown 
’ trees  of  small  size  in  preference  to  large  ones.  The  oftener  they 
have  been  transplanted  the  better.  Trees  from  the  woods  are  very 
sure  to  die  when  planted  in  open  ground. 


366 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


THE  MAGNOLIA.  Magnolia. 

The  magnolias  are  suggestive  of  all  the  voluptuous  luxuriance 
of  tropical  vegetation.  Rapid  growth,  immense  leaves,  great  blos- 
soms powerfully  odorous,  all  combine  to  create  an  impression  of 
trees  at  home  in  a warmer  zone  than  that  of  our  northern  States. 
All  the  large  species  are,  however,  natives  of  our  country,  and  it  is 
believed  that  with  intelligent  care  the  finest  of  them,  excepting  only 
the  evergreen  magnolia,  {grandijlora)  may  be  domesticated  and 
grown  to  their  full  size  as  far  north  as  the  southern  borders  of  the 
great  lakes,  where  the  altitude  does  not  exceed  seven  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea. 

The  cucumber  magnolia  (M.  acuminata)  grows  to  great  size  in 
forests  at  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie  and  in  New  Jersey,  but  entirely 
disappears  in  the  forests  a little  further  north.  Latitude  420  may 
therefore  be  considered  about  its  northern  limit,  and  that  of  the 
magnolia  family. 

Michaux  speaks  of  the  umbrella  magnolia,  M.  tripetela , being 
found  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  New  York;  but  our 
eminent  botanist,  Gray,  in  his  official  report  of  the  botanical  survey 
of  that  State  discredits  this  statement,  having  failed  to  find  it  except 
near  the  Pennsylvania  border.  It  is  found  in  greatest  abundance 
in  the  upper  portions  of  the  Carolinas,  Tennessee,  and  Georgia. 

The  great-leaved  magnolia,  M.  macrophylla , was  not  found 
by  Michaux  except  in  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee ; the  ever- 
green magnolia,  M.  grandijlora,  always  further  south*  while  the 
swamp  magnolia,  M.  glauca , is  indigenous  from  Massachusetts  to 
Louisians 

From  these  diversities  of  native  habitats  it  may  be  safe  to  infer 
that  most  of  the  magnolia  family  may  be  domesticated  on  our 
lawns  in  the  middle  States,  and  in  the  northern  States  south  of  the 
great  lakes,  and  probably  in  that  part  of  Canada  between  Lake 
Ontario  and  the  Detroit  River. 

Some  species,  which  have  been  introduced  from  China  and 
Japan,  are  quite  as  hardy  as  the  hardiest  natives  ; and  crosses  be- 
tween these  and  our  indigenous  species  have  been  made  which  are 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


367 


valuable  additions  to  our  small  trees.  We  believe  that  by  crossing 
the  species  still  further,  very  interesting  hybrids  and  varieties  may 
be  produced. 

The  cucumber  magnolia  being  the  strongest  and  hardiest  spe- 
cies, is  used  as  a stock  upon  which 

, * * “to  graft  the  gentler  graces” 

of  more  delicate  and  beautiful  sorts.  Prof.  J.  P.  Kirtland,  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  whose  very  intelligent  experience  and  success  in 
growing  fine  magnolias  near  their  most  northerly  line,  entitles  his 
opinion  to  great  weight,  insists  that  all  the  magnolias,  which  will 
grow  in  the  northern  States  at  all,  should  be  grafted  or  budded  on 
the  acuminata  stock.  He  says : “ Employed  for  this  purpose,  it 
imparts  vigor  to  the  weak,  hardiness  to  the  more  tender,  and  by  its 
profuse  supply  of  sap  forces  them  into  abnormal  production  of 
flowers,  improved  in  size  and  perfection,  as  well  as  numbers.”  He 
describes  the  effect  of  grafting  the  swamp  magnolia  (glauca) — 
which  is  but  a large  shrub  on  its  own  roots — on  a seedling  acumi- 
nata. The  glauca  grafted  on  the  latter  had  become  a broad,  fine 
tree,  twenty-one  feet  high,  while  the  former,  from  which  the  bud 
was  taken,  in  the  same  soil,  and  of  the  same  age,  was  “ an  old  and 
decrepit  shrub,  unworthy  of  attention.”  * While  the  Professor’s 
advice  is  of  great  value,  it  indicates  but  one  of  many  precautions 
which  must  be  taken  in  the  northern  States  to  succeed  in  growing 
fine  specimens  of  magnolias ; for,  unless  we  can  have  them  luxuri- 
antly healthy,  it  is  not  well  to  have  our  grounds  encumbered  with 
them.  A thrifty  hickory  is  better  than  a scrawny  magnolia ; and 
other  blossoms,  on  healthy  trees,  will  more  than  compensate  for  the 
absence  of  flowers  that  grow  on  a tree  which  shows  by  its  whole  air 
that  it  is  pining  for  a more  genial  home.  Those  who  will  grow  fine 
magnolia  trees  north  of  Philadelphia  must  see  to  it  that  all  the 
conditions  necessary  to  their  health  and  growth  are  complied  with. 
One  of  these  conditions,  which  will  apply  to  all  the  magnolias,  is 
that  they  be  planted  where  they  will  be  protected  from  high  winds, 
especially  north  and  west  winds  ; for  which  purpose  plantations  of 


American  Journal  of  Horticulture,  March,  1867. 


368 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


such  evergreens  as  the  pines  and  Norway  spruce  are  best  adapted ; 
and  they  must  have  a deep,  warm,  moist  soil,  in  which  their  roots 
can  revel  below  the  reach  of  the  frost.  Most  of  them  need  all  the 
sun  they  can  get  on  their  tops,  but  their  roots  must  be  cool  and 
shaded — a condition  easily  maintained  by  a well-kept  lawn  and 
their  own  shadows,  if  they  are  encouraged  to  grow  low. 

The  bark  of  all  the  magnolias  is  favorite  food  for  rabbits. 
Where  practicable  the  stems  near  the  ground  should  be  bound  with 
lath  at  the  beginning  of  winter,  and  then  covered  with  matting  or 
straw  as  high  as  possible.  Of  course  the  ground  around  the  stems 
should  also  be  thoroughly  mulched  a little  further  than  the  roots 
extend. 

The  peculiar  habits  and  needs  of  the  different  species  will  be 
noted  in  their  descriptions,  which  follow : 

The  Evergreen-Magnolia  or  Big  Laurel.  Magnolia  gran- 
diflora.  (. Laurier  tulipier  or  tulip  laurel  of  the  French.) — We  begin 
with  a description  of  this,  the  most  tender  of  all  the  magnolias,  be- 
cause its  fame  is  world-wide,  as  the  acknowledged  and  worthy  head 
of  a royal  family.  Michaux,  in  his  great  work,  the  Sylva  Americana, 
published  nearly  fifty  years  ago  by  the  French  government,  says  of 
it:  “Of  all  the  trees  of  North  America,  east  of  the  Mississippi,  the 
big  laurel  is  the  most  remarkable  for  the  majesty  of  its  form,  the 
magnificence  of  its  foliage,  and  the  beauty  of  its  flowers.  It  is  first 
seen  in  the  lower  part  of  North  Carolina,  near  the  river  Neuse,  in 
latitude  350;  proceeding  from  this  point,  it  is  found  in  the  mari- 
time parts  of  the  southern  States,  * * * and  as  far  up  the 

Mississippi  as  Natchez,  300  miles  above  New  Orleans.  The 
French  of  Louisiana  call  it  Laurier  tulipier.  It  grows  only  in  cool 
and  shady  places,  where  the  soil,  composed  of  brown  mould,  is 
loose,  deep,  and  fertile.” 

Bartram  (the  great  tree-hunter  of  the  last  century,  whose  superb 
collection  south  of  Philadelphia,  known  as  Bartram  Garden,  is  now 
an  illy  cared-for  wild-wood)  speaks  of  it  as  forming  “a  perfect 
cone,  placed  on  a straight  clean  trunk,  resembling  a beautiful  col- 
umn; and,  from  its  dark-green  foliage,  silvered  over  with  milk- 
white  flowers,  it  is  seen  at  a great  distance.” 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


369 


The  finest  specimens  known  of  this  species  reach  one  hundred 
feet  in  height;  but  sixty  feet  is  about  the  usual  altitude.  The 
leaves  vary  from  nine  to  twelve  inches  in  length,  and  from  three  to 
four  or  more  inches  in  breadth  ; they  are  always  smooth  and  shining, 
and  entire  on  the  edges.  The  flowers  appear  in  May,  and  the  tree 
keeps  on  blooming  through  the  season.  They  are  white,  produced 
on  the  summit  of  the  last  year’s  shoots,  and  are  from  six  to  eight 
inches  in  diameter.  Their  odor  is  powerfully  fragrant,  and  when 
too  near  or  too  abundant  oppressively  so. 

The  evergreen  magnolia  flourishes  in  the  botanical  gardens  and 
parks  of  south  France  and  Italy,  where  it  has  been  introduced ; but 
not  with  the  luxuriance  that  marks  its  growth  on  the  bottom  lands 
of  the  Gulf  States.  In  England  it  is  cultivated  on  walls  and  in 
hot-houses.  It  is  decidedly  a tender  tree,  and  is  not  likely  to 
repay  any  attempts  to  domesticate  it  north  of  Washington. 

The  Cucumber  Magnolia,  M.  acuminata,  is  a native  of  most 
of  the  States  of  our  Union,  and  grows  in  western  forests  to  a 
majestic  size.  Its  trunk  is  straight,  and  the  branches  symmetrically 
disposed  around  the  main  stem.  Growing  in  open  ground,  it  as- 
sumes an  ovate-conical  form.  The  leaves  are  oval-acuminate, 

from  six  to  ten  inches  long,  and  four  to  seven  broad,  and  of  a 
bluish  green  color.  They  drop  early,  turning  to  a dirty  yellow 
before  they  fall.  The  foliage  is  massy  and  abundant  in  soils  which 
are  deep,  warm,  and  moist;  but  in  poor  or  dry  ground  the 
branches  are  not  well  covered,  the  leaves  have  a pale,  sickly  green 
color,  and  the  whole  aspect  of  the  tree  is  coarse,  and  every  way 
inferior  in  massiveness  and  color  of  foliage  to  the  maples,  hick- 
ories, and  horse-chestnuts.  The  flowers,  which  have  many  petals, 
have  the  form,  and  more  than  double  the  size  of  a common  tulip, 
and  appear  in  June;  are  of  a pale-yellow  color,  varying  to  white 
and  bluish-white,  and  slightly  fragrant.  The  fruit  is  about  three 
. inches  long,  resembling  when  unripe  a green  cucumber, — hence  the 
name  of  the  tree, — rose-colored,  and  ornamental  when  ripe. 

Michaux  observes  that  the  situations  peculiarly  adapted  to  its 
growth  are  the  declivities  of  mountains,  narrow  valleys,  and  the 
banks  of  torrents,  where  the  atmosphere  is  constantly  moist,  and 
24 


370 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


where  the  soil  is  deep  and  fertile.  Such  facts  render  it  apparent 
that  it  is  a tree  unsuited  to  those  open  sites  and  gravelly  soils  at 
the  north  where  the  sugar  maples  and  the  common  chestnut  are 
most  beautiful.  It  seems  to  us  too  gross  a tree  for  small  grounds. 
The  following  species  is  a more  pleasing  tree : 

The  Heart-leaved  Magnolia.  M.  cordata. — We  have  seen 
in  northern  grounds  more  healthy-looking  trees  of  this  variety  than 
of  any  other.  Doctor  Kirtland  thinks  it  may  be  only  a variety  of 
the  M.  acuminata ; but,  whether  a variety  or  a species,  it  is  quite 
distinct  in  leaves,  flowers,  and  style.  It  is  a smaller  and  handsomer 
tree  in  all  respects.  Though  a native  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia, 
where  it  is  found  principally  on  the  uplands  and  mountains,  it  is 
quite  hardy  in  the  Central  Park,  New  York,  and  fine  specimens 
are  growing  in  private  grounds  near  the  Sound  and  on  the  Hudson 
River.  Downing  says  of  it : “ It  blooms  in  the  gardens  very  young 
and  very  abundantly,  often  producing  two  crops  in  a season.”  The 
flowers  appear  in  June  and  July,  and  occasionally  afterwards  till 
frosts.  They  are  yellow,  streaked  with  red,  and  from  three  to  four 
inches  in  diameter.  The  leaves  are  smaller,  rounder,  darker,  and 
more  glossy  than  those  of  the  acuminata , and  are  disposed  to  be 
wavy,  which  gives  a finer  play  of  light  upon  them.  The  form  of 
the  tree  is  a true  ovate.  The  foliage  is  more  abundant,  and  breaks 
into  more  pleasing  masses  than  that  of  the  larger-leaved  magno- 
lias. It  also  keeps  a tree-form  naturally,  while  some  of  the  latter 
are  apt  to  throw  up  several  stems  from  the  heart  near  the  ground. 

In  ordinary  lawn  exposures,  this  species,  we  think,  will  prove 
only  less  interesting  than  the  Magnolia  macrophylla , on  which, 
as  well  as  on  the  M.  tripetela  and  M.  auriculata , the  individual 
leaves  and  flowers  are  so  magnificent,  that  the  contours  of  the 
trees  themselves,  however  ungainly,  and  the  breaks  of  light  and 
shade  in  their  heads,  are  forgotten  while  observing  their  remarka- 
ble details.  This  heart-leaved  magnolia  exhibits  less  striking 
features,  and  forms  a beautiful  connecting-link  between  the  great- 
leaved magnolias  and  our  exuberantly-foliaged  northern  trees, 
which  are  distinguished  by  the  abundance  rather  than  the  size  of 
their  leaves. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


371 


The  Umbrella  Magnolia.  M.  tripetela. — A species  that 
seems  always  in  doubt  whether  to  be  a shrub  or  a tree.  Fig.  1 14 
shows,  not  its  most  common,  but  its  best  form,  at  about  ten  years 
of  age.  It  grows  rapidly  to  a huge  bush  or  small  tree  thirty  feet 
in  height.  If  allowed  to  send  up  shoots  at  will,  it  is  pretty  sure  to 
have  half  a dozen  rival  stems,  and  then  it  is  an  ungainly  great- 
leaved, and  great-blossomed  bush.  By  using  care,  however,  in  the 
selection  of  a stocky  low  tree  from  the 
nursery,  encouraging  it  to  branch  low, 
and  not  allowing  any  suckers  to  spring 
from  near  the  ground,  it  can  be  forced  to 
make  the  pretty  tree-form  shown  in  our 
cut,  though  this  is  not  as  low-branched  as 
it  is  desirable  to  make  them. 

The  leaves  are  of  great  size,  often  from 
eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  long  on  young 
trees,  and  seven  or  eight  inches  broad, 
oval,  and  pointed  at  both  ends.  They  are 
disposed  to  grow  in  tufts  at  the  extremi- 
ties of  the  limbs,  so  that  the  interior 
branches  are  bare.  This  peculiarity  sug- 
gested the  name  of  Umbrella  Magnolia; 
but  the  general  form  of  the  tree  is  such  as  to  make  the  title  utterly 
inappropriate  ; but  it  is  now  too  well  established  to  change. 

In  the  latitude  of  New  York  this  tree  is  generally  in  bloom 
from  May  to  July,  and  isolated  blossoms  occasionally  appear 
throughout  the  season;  the  flowers  are  white,  from  six  to  eight 
inches  in  diameter,  cup-shaped,  and  have  an  unpleasant  odor. 
The  fruit  is  conical,  five  or  six  inches  long,  of  a beautiful  pink 
color,  forming  quite  an  ornamental  feature  of  the  tree. 

Loudon  says  of  this  tree : — “In  Britain  the  tree  sends  up 
various  shoots  from  the  root  to  replace  the  stems,  which  are  seldom 
• of  long  duration.”  This  is  also  its  peculiarity  in  this  country. 
Though  it  has  been  more  generally  planted  than  any  other  half- 
hardy  magnolia,  it  is  in  all  respects  inferior  to  the  Magnolia  machro- 
phylla , which  it  most  nearly  resembles ; and  to  the  M.  cordata  and 
the  M.  soulangeana , from  which  it  differs  widely. 


372 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


The  Large-leaved  or  Michaux’  Magnolia.  M.  macro - 
phylla . — This  -species  has  the  most  superb 
leaves  of  any  tree  we  know  of  in  the  tem- 
perate zone,  being  from  twenty  to  thirty- 
five  inches  in  length,  with  a width  equal  to 
about  one-third  their  length.  It  is  a native 
of  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  Carolinas, 
and  was  first  discovered  by  the  elder  Mi- 
chaux, in  1789,  near  Lincolntown,  in  North 
Carolina.  He  remarks,  “ Extensive  re- 
searches made  in  quest  of  it,  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  southern  States,  and  east  of  the 
Alleghanies,  have  been  unsuccessful.  In 
Tennessee  it  is  found  sparingly  at  intervals 
of  forty  or  fifty  miles.  It  appears  to  delight 
in  cool  sheltered  situations  where  the  soil 
is  deep  and  fertile,  where  it  is  constantly  attended  by  the  M. 
tripetela 

This  species  has  less  tendency  to  sucker  than  the  tripetela , and 
becomes  a broad  oak-like  tree,  in  form,  from  twenty-five  to  forty 
feet  high,  and  equal  diameter.  In  Parsons’  specimen  grounds  at 
Flushing,  L.  I.,  there  is  a magnificent  specimen  with  a trunk  fifteen 
inches  in  diameter,  and  a head  thirty-five  feet  in  height  and  forty 
feet  in  diameter,  and  truly  the  most  superb  tree  of  its  size  we  have 
ever  seen.  Its  branches  almost  meet  the  ground,  and  when  the 
wind  plays  with  its  great  leaves  their  white  under  surfaces  light  the 
tree  like  a mass  of  immense  white  blossoms.  This  is  one  of  the 
striking  beauties  of  the  tree,  and  one  that  is  quite  as  effective  on  small 
as  large  trees.  Fig  115  shows  the  characteristic  form  of  the  tree  in 
from  seven  to  ten  years  after  planting,  and  also  represents  the  pro- 
portional size  of  the  leaves  and  the  blossom.  The  leaves  are  heart- 
shaped  at  the  base,  and  increase  in  width  so  that  they  are  widest 
two-thirds  of  their  length  towards  the  point.  The  flowers,  which 
appear  in  June  and  July,  are  of  immense  size,  sometimes  eight  to 
ten  inches  in  width,  white,  with  purple  spots  near  the  centre,  and 
pleasantly  fragrant  Fruit  shaped  like  a cucumber,  bright  rose- 
color  when  ripe,  and  about  four  inches  long.  The  bark  is  whitish 


Fig.  1 1 5 . 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


373 


and  smooth,  so  that  it  can  be  distinguished  from  the  M.  tripetela  in 
the  winter  by  this  feature.  Young  plants  are  said  to  grow  slow 
until  well  established,  but  after  they  are  well  rooted  the  annual 
growth  is  from  fifteen  to  thirty  inches.  It  will  bear  a dryer  soil 
than  the  M.  acummata , but  depth,  richness,  and  a surface  pro- 
tected from  the  sun  are  indispensable.  It  would  give  us  great 
pleasure  to  have  this  noble  species  named  after  its  discoverer — 
Michaux.  It  was  at  one  time  so  known  in  Europe,  and  we 
have  inserted  this  name  as  a synonym,  in  hopes  that  it  may  yet 
be  adopted.  Nearly  all  the  magnolias  being  remarkable  for  their 
large  leaves,  the  title  of  large-leaved  has  not  a very  specific  sig- 
nification. 

Bartram ’s  Magnolia.*  M.  auriculata . — The  ear-leaved  mag- 
nolia of  Loudon  and  the  nursery  catalogues.  This  sort  was  dis- 
covered by  that  great  tree-enthusiast,  Bartram,  in  the  mountainous 
regions  of  the  Carolinas,  three  hundred  miles  from  the  sea.  Mi- 
chaux says,  “I  have  nowhere  found  it  so  abundant  as  on  the 
steepest  part  of  the  lofty  mountains  of  North  Carolina,  par- 
ticularly those  which  are  called  by  the  inhabitants  Great  Father 
Mountains,  and  Black  and  Iron  Mountains.”  “The  soil  of  these 
mountains  is  deep,  brown,  and  of  an  excellent  quality,  * * * 

and  the  atmosphere  in  such  situations,  is  continually  charged  with 
moisture.” 

It  is  found  in  but  few  regions. 

Bartram  thus  describes  it  as  seen  wild.  “ This  tree  (or  per- 
haps rather  shrub)  rises  eighteen  to  thirty  feet  in  height.  There 
are  usually  many  stems  from  a root,  which  lean  a little,  or  slightly 
diverge  from  each  other,  in  this  respect  imitating  the  Magnolia 
tripetela ; the  crooked  wreathing  branches  arising  and  subdividing 
from  the  main  stem  without  order  or  uniformity.  Their  extremities 
turn  upwards,  producing  a very  large  roseaceous,  perfectly  white 
double  flower,  which  is  of  a most  fragrant  scent.  This  fine  flower 
sits  in  the  centre  of  a radius  of  very  large  leaves,  which  are  of  a 


* We  have  taken  the  liberty  of  re-naming  this  species  in  honor  of  the  discoverer,  with  the  hope 
that  the  feelings  which  dictate  the  innovation  will  be  shared  by  American  tree-cultivators. 


374 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


singular  figure,  somewhat  lanceolate,  broad  towards  their  ex- 
tremities, terminating  with  an  acuminate  point,  and  backwards 
they  attenuate  and  become  very  narrow  towards  their  bases,  ter- 
minating in  two  long  narrow  ears,  or  lappels,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  insertion  of  the  petiole.” 

The  fruit  is  quite  similar  to  that  of  the  M.  tripetela.  As  this 
variety  is  not  equal  to  the  M.  macrophhlla  in  size  or  beauty  of  leaf 
and  flower,  or  in  symmetry  as  a tree,  it  will  be  found  desirable  only 
in  a collection  where  magnolias  are  made  a specialty.  It  is  proba- 
bly less  hardy  than  the  macrophylla  or  tripetela,  but  we  are  not 
aware  that  this  has  been  tested. 

The  Pyramidal  Magnolia,  M.  pyramidata , supposed  to  be  a 
variety  of  the  above,  is  a much  more  symmetrical  and  pyramidal 
tree,  with  smaller  leaves,  and  more  tree-like  form.  It  is  found  on 
the  banks  of  the  Altamaha  river,  in  Georgia.  We  are  not  aware 
whether  it  has  been  tested  at  the  north. 

The  Swamp  Magnolia,  M.  glauca , grows  wild  in  swamps  as  far 
north  as  Massachusetts,  and  is  found  in  abundance  from  New  Jersey 
to  Virginia.  “ It  is  rather  a large  bush  than  a tree ; with  shining, 
green,  laurel-like  leaves,  four  or  five  inches  long,  somewhat  mealy 
and  glaucous  beneath.  The  blossoms,  about  three  inches  broad, 
are  snowy  white,  and  so  fragrant  that  where  they  abound  in  swamps 
their  perfume  is  often  perceptible  for  a quarter  of  a mile  ” (Down- 
ing). If  Dr.  Kirtland’s  success  in  growing  this  variety  on  the  M. 
acuminata  can  become  general,  we  have  in  this  little  tree  one  of 
the  best  ornaments  of  our  lawns.  It  is  a scrawny  bush  grown  in 
dry  open  ground  on  its  own  roots,  but  does  pretty  well  in  a partial 
shade  and  deep  moist  soil. 

The  foregoing  are  all  natives  of  our  own  country.  The  follow- 
ing are  natives  of  China  and  Japan,  or  hybrids  between  those  and 
our  own  species,  which  have  originated  in  British  gardens.  The 
remarks  as  to  protection  and  care  which  have  been  made  of  mag- 
nolias in  general,  apply  to  all  these.  They  are  about  as  hardy  as 
the  native  magnolias. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


375 


The  Chinese  White  Magnolia.  M.  conspicua. — A beautiful 
small  tree  when  in  congenial  soil,  but  quite  often  of  scanty  foliage  in 
northern  grounds.  Its  peculiar  quality  is  the 
earliness  of  its  great  white  blossoms,  which 
appear  in  April  before  the  leaves,  and,  ac- 
cording to  Meehan,  “ combine  the  fragrance 
of  the  lily  with  the  beauty  of  the  rose.” 

Yet  the  rose  and  the  lily  have  this  great 
advantage  : — that  their  blossoms  are  nestled 
or  environed  in  green  leaves,  while  the 
blossoms  of  this  magnolia  appear  in  daring 
nakedness  on  the  bare  twigs  of  April.  On 
warm  spring  days  the  appearance  of  such 
noble  fragrant  flowers  is  like  a breath  of 
the  tropics  after  one  has  passed  an  iceberg 
at  sea;  but  when,  after  being  invited  to 
burst  their  buds,  and  expand  by  the  first 
warm  days  of  spring,  they  are  often  startled  and  chilled  by  the 
still  whiter  snows  that  occasionally  fall  in  April,  and  seen  from  the 
windows  of  a fire-warmed  room  when  chilly  east  winds  drive  all 
one’s  nature-loving  fever  back  to  the  heart,  instead  of  admiration 
they  then  inspire  a kind  of  pity,  and  our  kindliest  wish  is  that  they 
might  be  back  in  their  warmer  homes,  where  no  snows  could  pale 
their  whiteness,  nor  chilly  winds  drink  their  fragrance.  In  short, 
there  is  something  unnatural  in  the  sight  of  blossoms  unsurrounded 
with  the  tender  green  of  opening  or  expanded  leaves ; and  although 
we  cannot  but  admire  and  be  grateful  for  such  bloom  as  the 
Chinese  white  magnolia  gives  us,  we  are  not  disposed  to  consider 
this  pre-maturity  of  its  blossoms  as  a desirable  quality  of  trees  or 
shrubs,  and  would  value  this  one  higher  if  the  blossoms  were  to 
appear  after,  instead  of  before  the  expansion  of  the  leaves. 

Figure  116  shows  the  characteristic  form  of  the  tree  five  or  six 
years  after  planting,  and  the  form  of  the  leaves  and  blossoms.  It 
becomes  a neat  small  tree  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  height.  The 
flowers  are  from  three  to  four  inches  in  diameter,  and  appear  in 
March,  April,  or  May,  according  to  the  season  or  the  latitude. 

This  species,  when  grown  as  a tree,  is  usually  grafted  on  the 


376 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


M.  acuminata ; but  by  grafting  on  the  M.  purpurea,  it  is  converted 
into  a low  shrub,  suitable  for  growing  in  pots,  and  forcing,  under 
glass,  into  winter  bloom.  It  should  have  a well-drained,  porous, 
warm  soil.  Having  no  leaves  of  its  own  during  its  blooming 
season,  it  is  the  more  desirable  to  place  it  near  evergreens,  against 
whose  dark  foliage  its  blossoms  will  be  pleasingly  relieved,  and 
whose  height  and  foliage  may  shield  it  from  winds. 


Fig.  117. 


PAHSONS’  MAGNOLIA  SOULANGKANA. 


Soulange’s  Magnolia,  M.  Soulangeana , is  a magnificent  hybrid 
between  the  M.  conspicua  and  M.  purpurea , and  more  showy  and 
vigorous  than  either.  Fig.  117  is  an  imperfect  representation 
of  a superb  specimen  growing  in  the  specimen  grounds  of  the 
Parsons  nursery  at  Flushing,  L.  I. ; in  appearance  a huge 
spreading  shrub  of  large  glossy  foliage,  but  in  size  a tree,  with 
a trunk  fifteen  inches  in  diameter,  the  head  forty  feet  in  breadth, 
and  thirty  feet  high.  It  blooms  in  May.  Its  immense  flowers 
begin  to  appear  while  it  is  in  the  nursery  rows,  and  when  larger 
it  rivals  the  horse-chestnut  in  the  splendor  of  its  inflorescence. 
The  two  trees  being  in  bloom  at  the  same  time,  present  the  widest 
difference  in  the  character  of  their  flowers.  Those  of  the  magnolia 
are -borne  singly,  are  irregularly  cup-shaped,  from  four  to  six  inches 
in  diameter,  white,  tinged  with  purple,  and  somewhat  fragrant. 
The  tree  has  the  abundant  masses  of  glossy  leaves  that  distinguish 
the  M.  purpurea;  but  instead  of  being  like  that  species  alow  shrub, 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


377 


requiring  shade  and  the  coolness  of  other  vegetation  near  it  to 
protect  and  develop  its  best  character,  this  species  will  grow  to 
large  size  in  open  ground  (if  the  soil  be  deep,  rich,  and  shaded), 
and  the  noble  massing  of  its  foliage  is  excelled  by  no  other  tree. 
The  leaves  are  quite  small  compared  with  our  American  species 
of  magnolia ; but  though  less  showy  separately,  they  break  into 
finer  masses. 

From  all  the  information  we  have,  it  seems  to  us  that  this  is 
the  most  valuable  of  all  the  foreign  magnolias,  and  quite  as  hardy 
as  any  of  the  family.  At  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  though  less  luxuriant 
in  its  development  than  near  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  it  bears 
the  winter  with  no  protection. 

The  Magnolia  speciosa  differs  principally  from  the  M.  Soulan- 
geana  in  being  of  more  upright  habit,  and  blooming  ten  days 
later. 

The  Purple- flowered  Magnolia.  M.  purpurea. — A low. 
spreading  shrub,  from  four  to  eight  feet  high,  and  greater  propor- 
tional breadth,  noted  for  the  fine  masses  of  its  very  glossy  deep- 
green  leaves.  These  are  from  five  to  six  inches  long,  widest  in  the 
middle,  pointed  at  both  ends,  with  wavy  edges,  and  very  glossy. 
Color,  a pure  dark-green.  Flowers  in  April  and  May  in  profusion, 
and  many  scattered  blossoms  again  in  August  and  later;  form, 
cup-shaped,  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter  ; color,  purple,  shad- 
ing into  white.  Almost  hardy  in  the  climate  of  New  York,  and 
does  well  where  protected  from  wind  and  sun  on  the  roots,  as  it 
requires  a moist,  cool  soil.  One  of  the  richest  foliaged  of  shrubs 
for  a shady  border. 

The  Magnolia  gracilis , is  a smaller  variety  of  the  M.  purpurea, 
with  darker-colored  flowers. 

Thompson’s  Magnolia,  M.  Thompsoniana,  is  reputed  to  be  a 
* cross  between  the  M.  glauca  and  the  M.  tripetela,  and  is  considered 
sufficiently  distinct  to  be  desirable  in  a collection.  It  blooms  in 
June,  several  weeks  later  than  the  M.  Soulatigeana. 

A deep,,  porous,  moist  soil,  not  cold,  but  shaded  from  the  direct 


378 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


rays  of  the  sun,  is  the  most  essential  requisite  in  growing  beautiful 
magnolias.  If  the  reader  remembers  what  is  contained  in  Chapter 
XVIII,  on  growing  half-hardy  trees,  and  will  follow  its  sugges- 
tions, there  need  be  little  fear  of  failure  in  growing  this  tropical 
family  of  great-leaved  trees  in  most  portions  of  the  northern 
States. 


THE  BIRCH.  Betula. 


The  lightness,  grace,  and  delicacy  of  some  of  the  birch  family, 
in  bark,  branching,  and  foliage,  is  proverbial ; and  yet,  within  a 
few  years,  new  varieties  have  been  introduced  that  fairly  surpass 
the  acknowledged  charms  of  the  older  members. 

Contrary  to  our  ordinary  habit  of  naming  the  best  native 
varieties  first,  we  shall  begin  with  that  most  exquisite  of  modern 
sylvan  belles — 


Fig.  i i 8. 


The  Cut-leaved  Weeping  Birch.  B . lacianata  pendula. — 
Wherever  known,  this  tree  stands  the  ac- 
knowledged queen  of  all  the  airy  graces 
with  which  lightsome  trees  coquette  with  the 
sky  and  the  summer  air.  It  lacks  no  charm 
essential  to  its  rank.  Erect,  slender,  tall,  it 
gains  height  only  to  bend  its  silvery  spray 
with  a caressing  grace  on  every  side.  Like 
our  magnificent  weeping  elm,  but  lighter, 
smaller,  and  brighter  in  all  its  features,  it 
rapidly  lifts  its  head  among  its  compeers  till 
it  over-tops  them,  and  then  spreads  its 
branches,  drooping  and  subdividing  into  the 
most  delicate  silvery  branchlets,  whose  pen- 
sile grace  is  only  equalled  by  those  of  the  weeping  willow.  Fig. 
118  illustrates  its  common  form  about  ten  years  after  planting. 

We  regret  being  unable  to  present  an  engraving  that  will 
suggest  the  airy  grace  of  this  tree.  No  engraving  could  do  it 
justice.  Like  the  palm  tree  of  the  tropics,  it  must  be  seen  in 
motion,  swaying  in  the  lightest  breeze,  its  leaves  trembling  in  the 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


379 


heated  summer  air,  its  white  bark  glistening  through  the  bright 
foliage  and  sparkling  in  the  sun,  to  enable  one  to  form  a true  im- 
pression of  its  character.  Professor  Wilson  in  his  “ Isle  of  Palms  ” 
thus  alludes  to  a birch  tree : 


* on  the  green  slope 

Of  a romantic  glade,  we  sate  us  down, 

Amid  the  fragrance  of  the  yellow  broom ; v 
While  o’er  our  heads  the  weeping  birch  tree  streamed 
Its  branches , arching  like  a fountain  shower 


This  birch  is  one  of  the  most  rapid  growers  among  ornamental 
trees,  attaining  a height  of  thirty  feet  in  ten  years. 

The  European  Weeping  Birch.  B.  pendula. — This  is  the  old 
weeping  variety  of  the  birch,  and  nearly  all  the  encomiums  of  the 
preceding  newer  variety  will  apply  to  this,  which  would  be  perfect — 
“were  t’  other  dear  charmer  away.”  The  former  is  a little  more 
delicate  and  decided  in  each  of  the  peculiarities  that  make  them 
both  beautiful.  Both  of  them  are  of  more  vigorous  habit  than  our 
own  very  pretty  white  or  mountain  birch.  They  will  probably  grow 
sixty  to  seventy  feet  high,  with  a breadth  of  head  somewhat  less. 
The  engraving  of  the  preceding  variety  illustrates  also  the  usual 
form  of  the  common  weeping  birch  when  from  thirty  to  forty  feet 
high ; which  height  they  are  likely  to  attain  in  ten  or  twelve  years 
after  planting. 

The  European  White  Birch.  B.  alba , 

(Fig.  1 19.) — This  is  the  common  wild  birch  of 
the  continent,  from  which  the  above  beautiful 
varieties  have  sprung.  It  forms  a tree  some- 
what larger  than  our  own  white  or  mountain 
birch,  which  in  most  respects  it  resembles. 

The  American  Birches.  — We  quote 
Downing’s  excellent  descriptions  entire. 

“ The  American  sorts,  and  particularly  the 
black  birch,  start  into  leaf  very  early  in  the 
spring,  and  their  tender  green  is  agree- 
able to  the  eye  at  that  season ; while  the  swelling  buds  and  young 


380 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


foliage  in  many  kinds  give  out  a delicious,  though  faint  perfume. 
Even  the  blossoms  which  hang  like  brown  tassels  from  the  droop- 
ing branches,  are  interesting  to  the  lover  of  nature. 

“ ‘ The  fragrant  birch  above  him  hung, 

Her  tassels  in  the  sky, 

And  many  a vemal  blossom  sprung, 

And  nodded  careless  by.’— Bryant. 

“ Nothing  can  well  be  prettier,  seen  from  the  windows  of  the 
drawing-room,  than  a large  group  of  trees,  whose  depth  and  dis- 
tance is  made  up  by  the  heavy  and  deep  masses  of  the  ash,  oak, 
and  maple ; and  the  portions  nearest  to  the  eye  on  the  lawn  ter- 
minated by  a few  birches,  with  their  sparkling  white  stems  and 
delicate,  airy,  drooping  foliage.  Our  white  birch,  being  a small 
tree,  is  very  handsome  in  such  situations,  and  offers  the  most  pleas- 
ing  variety  to  the  eye,  when  seen  in  connection  with  other  foliage. 
Several  kinds,  as  the  yellow  and  the  black  birches,  are  really  stately 
trees  and  form  fine  groups  by  themselves.  Indeed,  most  beautiful 
and  varied  masses  might  be  formed  by  collecting  together  all  the 
different  kinds,  with  their  characteristic  barks,  branches,  and 
foliage. 

“ As  an  additional  recommendation,  many  of  these  trees  grow 
on  the  thinnest  and  most  indifferent  soils,  whether  moist  or  dry; 
and  in  cold  bleak  and  exposed  situations,  as  well  as  in  warm  and 
sheltered  places.” 

We  shall  enumerate  the  different  kinds  as  follows : 

Fig.  120.  “The  Canoe  Birch  or  Paper  Birch,  B. 

papyracea  or  Boleau  a canot  of  the  French  Cana- 
dians, is,  according  to  Michaux,  rntet  common 
in  the  forests  of  the  eastern  States,  north  of 
latitude  430,  and  in  the  Canadas.  There  it 
attains  its  largest  size,  sometimes  seventy  feet  in 
height  and  three  in  diameter.  Its  branches  are 
slender,  flexible,  covered  with  a shining  brown 
bark,  dotted  with  white  ; and  on  trees  of  mode- 
rate size,  the  bark  is  a brilliant  white  ; it  is  often 
used  for  roofing  houses,  for  the  manufacture  of  baskets,  boxes,  etc., 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


381 


besides  its  most  important  use  for  canoes,  as  already  mentioned. 
The  leaves,  borne  on  petioles  four  or  five  lines  long,  are  of  a 
middling  size,  oval,  unequally  denticulated,  smooth,  and  of  a dark- 
green  color.”  Fig.  120  represents  a young  tree  of  this  species. 

“The  WHifE  Birch,  B.  populifolia , is  a tree  of  much  smaller 
size,  generally  from  twenty  to  thirty-five  feet  in  height.  It  is  found 
in  New  York  and  the  other  middle  States,  as  well  as  at  the  north. 
The  trunk,  like  the  foregoing,  is  covered  with  silvery  bark ; the 
branches  are  slender,  and  generally  drooping  when  the  tree  attains 
considerable  size.  The  leaves  are  smooth  on  both  surfaces,  heart- 
shaped  at  the  base,  very  acuminate,  and  doubly  and  irregularly 
toothed.  The  petioles  are  slightly  twisted,  and  the  leaves  are 
almost  as  tremulous  as  those  of  the  aspen.  It  is  a beautiful  small 
tree  for  ornamental  planting.” 

“The  Common  Black  or  Sweet  Birch.  B.  lenta. — This  is 
the  sort  most  generally  known  by  the  name  of  the  birch,  and  is 
widely  diffused  over  the  middle  and  southern  States.  In  color  and 
appearance  the  bark  much  resembles  that  of  the  cherry  tree : on 
old  trees,  at  the  close  of  winter,  it  is  frequently  detached  in  trans- 
verse portions,  in  the  form  of  hard  ligneous  plates,  six  or  eight 
inches  broad.  The  leaves,  for  a fortnight  after  their  appearance, 
are  covered  with  a thick  silvery  down  which  disappears  soon  after. 
They  are  about  two  inches  long,  serrate,  heart-shaped  at  the  base, 
acuminate  at  the  summit,  and  of  a pleasing  tint  and  fine  texture.” 

“ The  Yellow  Birch,  B.  lutea>  grows  most  plentifully  in  Nova 
Scotia,  Maine,  and  New  Brunswick,  on  cool  rich  soils,  where  it  is  a 
tree  of  the  largest  size.  It  is  remarkable  for  the  color  and  arrange- 
ment of  its  outer  bark,  which  is  of  a brilliant  golden-yellow,  and  is 
frequently  seen  divided  into  fine  strips  rolled  backward  at  the 
ends,  but  attached  in  the  middle.  The  leaves  are  about  three  and 
a half  inches  long,  two  and  a half  broad,  ovate,  acuminate,  and 
bordered  with  sharp  irregular  teeth.  It  is  a beautiful  tree,  with  a 
trunk  of  nearly  uniform  diameter,  straight  and  destitute  of  branches 
for  thirty  or  forty  feet.” 


382 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


“ The  Red  Birch  (B.  rubra)  belongs  chiefly  to  the  south,  be- 
ing scarcely  ever  seen  north  of  Virginia.  It  prefers  the  moist  soil 
of  river  banks,  where  it  reaches  a noble  height.  It  takes  its  name 
from  the  cinnamon  or  reddish  color  of  the  outer  bark  on  young  trees. 
When  old  it  becomes  rough,  furrowed,  and  greenish.  The  leaves 
are  light-green  on  the  upper  surface,  whitish  beneath,  very  pointed 
at  the  end,  and  terminated  at  the  base  in  an  acute  angle.  The 
twigs  are  long,  flexible,  and  pendulous  ; and  the  limbs  of  a brown 
color,  spotted  with  white.” 

A full  collection  of  birch  trees  would  form  a very  interesting 
arboricultural  specialty  for  a suburban  place,  especially  where  the 
ground  surfaces  are  irregular  or  rocky. 


THE  LINDEN  OR  BASSWOOD.  Tillia. 

The  linden,  famous  in  Germany  as  the  shade  tree  of  her  most 
celebrated  avenues — there  taking  the  same  rank  that  our  elm 
does  among  us — is  inferior  to  some  of  our  native  trees  in  many 
essential  qualities.  It  forms  an  oval,  symmetrical  head,  and  the 
branches,  which  are  smooth  and  regular,  droop  with  a fine  curve 
from  the  lower  part  of  the  trunk,  and,  rising  again  at  their  extremi- 
ties, form  a graceful  sweep  most  pleasing  for  an  open  lawn  tree. 
Indeed,  were  it  not  that  its  leaves  are  inviting  to  certain  worms, 
who  make  silk  from  them,  and  then  suspend  themselves  in  myriads 
from  the  tree,  its  abundant  foliage  and  graceful  form  would  espe- 
cially commend  it  for  park  use.  The  flowers  appear  in  June  and 
July,  and  hang  in  loose,  pale  yellow  clusters,  and  are  fragrant. 
Some  of  the  species  or  varieties  are  said  to  be  deliciously  per- 
fumed. The  leaves  vary  from  a true  heart-shape  to  an  acutely 
pointed  heart-shape  ; are  of  a pleasing  light-green  color,  and 
smooth,  but  not  glossy,  turning  yellow  in  September,  and  are 
among  the  earliest  to  drop.  The  variety  of  lindens  is  not  large. 

The  American  Linden  or  Basswood,  T.  americana , is  mainly 
described  in  the  above  description  of  the  genus.  It  is  the  most 
robust  of  the  species.  The  leaves  are  from  four  to  five  inches  in 
diameter,  acute  heart-shaped,  and  pale  green.  The  growth  is  rapid. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


383 


The  Broad-leaved  Linden,  T.  macrophylla , is  a new  variety 
of  the  basswood,  interesting  from  the  exceeding  size  and  luxuriance 
of  its  foliage. 

The  European  Linden,  T.  europa , differs  from  the  American 
in  having  smaller,  darker,  and  less  pointed  leaves,  and  in  the  more 
globular  form  of  its  head. 

The  Grape-leaved  Linden.  T.  vitifolia . — This  is  a new  and 
charming  variety.  The  leaves,  which  are  deeply-lobed  like  those 
of  some  varieties  of  grape,  are  also  large,  more  glossy,  and  of  a 
brighter  green  than  any  other  variety  of  linden.  The  tree  is  of 
vigorous  habit.  Young  wood  bright  red. 

The  Red-barked  Linden,  T.  rubra , and 
the  Golden-barked,  T.  aurea , the  former 
with  red  and  the  latter  with  yellow  branches, 
are  considered  “ peculiarly  beautiful  in  win- 
ter, when  a few  of  them,  mingled  with  other 
deciduous  trees,  make  a pleasing  variety  of 
coloring  in  the  absence  of  foliage.”  Fig. 

12 1 shows  a young  tree. 

The  White  Linden,  T.  alba , is  a native  variety,  with  the  under 
side  of  its  leaves  downy,  giving  the  foliage  a grayish  hue,  and  with 
finer  flowers  and  lighter-colored  bark. 

The  Weeping  White  Linden.  T.  peiidula. — Mr.  Sargent 
says  of  it : “ Of  very  pendulous  habit,  and  the  under  part  of  the 
leaf  very  silvery.  We  esteem  this  one  of  the  most,  if  not  the  most, 
ornamental  of  the  lindens.”  Its  pendulous  habit  is  confined  almost 
entirely  to  the  tops  of  the  branches  and  the  growing  wood. 

The  White-leaved  European  Linden  has  a peculiar  whitish- 
gray  tone  of  foliage  that  makes  it  a striking  tree  to  introduce  occa- 
sionally as  a contrast  or  foil  for  the  more  healthy  greens.  A 
robust  tree. 


Fig.  i 21. 


384 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


The  Fern-leaved  Linden,  T.  lacianata , is  curious  on  account 
of  its  shredded  leaves.  Of  its  habit  of  growth  as  it  matures  we 
cannot  speak. 

All  these  beautiful  or  curious  varieties  may  be  readily  grafted 
or  budded  on  our  basswood,  so  that  persons  having  one  or  more 
trees  of  the  latter  may,  without  marring  the  general  contour  of  the 
tree,  test  and  compare  the  varied  foliage  of  the  different  varieties 
of  linden. 


THE  PLANE-TREE.  Platanus. 

The  Sycamore  or  American  Plane  Tree.  P.  occidentals. — ■ 
There  are  but  two  species  of  the  plane  tree,  and  these  differ  con- 
siderably in  their  characters.  One  of  them  is  our  native  sycamore 
or  buttonwood,  well  known  by  its  smooth  and  scaly  gray  bark, 
which,  detaching  itself  in  laminate  pieces,  reveals  a whiter  bark 
beneath,  and  gives  the  trunk  and  branches  a spotted  or  spangled 
appearance.  Occasionally  the  older  bark  scales  entirely  from  some 
of  the  branches,  leaving  them  nearly  as  white  as  those  of  the  white 
birch.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  rapid  in  growth  of  Ameri- 
can forest  trees,  and,  previous  to  the  discovery  of  the  great  trees 
of  California  and  Oregon,  its  trunk  was  the  most  colossal  vegeta- 
tion familiar  to  Americans.  One  has  been  cut  measuring  forty- 
seven  feet  in  circumference ; and  there  was  formerly  a tree  at  J ef- 
ferson,  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  with  a hollow  interior  fifteen  feet  in 
diameter  two  feet  from  the  ground ! The  enormous  expansion  of 
the  trunk  is  one  of  its  peculiarities,  exceeding  that  of  any  other  tree 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  This  characteristic  disposes  it  to 
become  hollow,  yet  to  increase  ^ healthily  on  its  trunk  shell  like  the 
curious  old  chestnuts  of  Mount  yEtna.  The  leaves  are  double  the 
size,  and  resemble  in  outline  those  of  the  sugar  maple,  but  are 
thinner,  of  a lighter  green,  have  more  strongly-marked  ribs,  and  are 
rarely  glossy. 

Notwithstanding  the  grand  character  of  the  sycamore,  it  is  little 
esteemed  of  late  years  for  decorative  purposes.  Aside  from  the 
fact  that  it  is  too  large  and  rank  a tree  for  small  places,  its  diseases 
have  done  much  to  discourage  its  planting.  The  wood  is  subject 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


385 


to  the  attacks  of  a borer,  and  the  leaves  are  favorite  food  for  worms 
to  such  an  extent  that  few  sycamores  are  seen  which  are  not  every 
summer  denuded  of  half  their  foliage  by  these  pests.  The  leaves 
also  expand  late,  drop  early,  and  are  apt  to  rot  where  they  drop. 
For  these  reasons  it  is  less  desirable  than  many  other  trees  for 
streets  or  pleasure  grounds. 

The  Oriental  Plane  Tree.  P.  orientalis. — This  species  re- 
sembles our  maples  almost  as  much  as  it  does  its  brother  the 
sycamore.  It  is  hardy,  and  in  many  respects  more  valuable  for 
decorative  planting  than  the  American  species.  Whether  the  fol- 
lowing analysis  of  its  character,  which  we  quote  from  Loudon,  is 
verified  by  its  growth  in  this  country,  we  have  not  had  the  means 
of  judging,  but  it  seems  likely  to  form  a connecting  link  between 
our  compact  and  slower-growing  maples  and  the  loose  rank  growth 
of  the  sycamore.  The  passage  quoted,  however,  is  given  quite  as 
much  for  the  purpose  of  presenting  a fine  analysis  of  the  character- 
istics of  trees  as  to  call  attention  to  the  particular  merits  of  the 
tree  under  consideration : 

“ Pliny  affirms  that  there  is  no  tree  whatsoever  that  defends  us 
so  well  from  the  heat  of  the  sun  in  summer,  or  that  admits  it  more 
kindly  in  winter.  Both  properties  result  from  the  large  size  of  its 
leaves.  In  summer  these  present  horizontal  imbricated  masses, 
which,  while  they  are  favorable  to  the  passage  of  the  breeze,  yet 
exclude  both  the  sun  and  rain ; while,  as  the  distance  at  which  the 
branches  and  twigs  of  trees  are  from  one  another,  is  always  propor- 
tionate to  the  size  of  the  leaves,  hence  the  tree  in  winter  is  more 
than  usually  open  to  the  sun’s  rays.  As  an  ornamental  tree,  no 
one  which  attains  so  large  a size  has  a finer  appearance,  standing 
singly,  or  in  small  groups,  upon  a lawn,  where  there  is  room  to 
allow  its  lower  branches,  which  stretch  themselves  horizontally  to 
a considerable  distance,  to  bend  gracefully  toward  the  ground,  and 
- turn  up  at  their  extremities.  The  peculiar  characteristic  of  the 
tree,  indeed,  is  the  combination  which  it  presents  of  majesty  and 
gracefulness ; an  expression  which  is  produced  by  the  massive  and 
yet  open  and  varied  character  of  its  head,  the  bending  of  its 
branches,  and  their  feathering  to  the  ground.  In  this  respect  it 
25 


386 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


is  greatly  superior  to  the  lime  (linden)  tree,  which  comes  nearest 
to  it  in  the  general  character  of  the  head,  but  which  forms  a much 
more  compact  and  lumpish  mass  of  foliage  in  summer,  and,  in 
winter,  is  so  crowded  with  branches  and  spray,  as  to  prevent  in  a 
great  measure  the  sun  from  penetrating  through  them.  The  head 
of  the  plane  tree,  during  sunshine,  often  abounds  in  what  painters 
call  flickering  lights ; the  consequence  of  the  branches  of  the  head 
separating  themselves  into  what  may  be  called  horizontal  undulating 
strata,  or,  as  it  is  termed  in  artistical  phraseology,  horizontal  tuft- 
ing, easily  put  in  motion  by  the  wind,  and  through  openings  in 
which  the  rays  of  the  sun  penetrate  and  strike  on  the  foliage 
below.  The  tree,  from  its  mild  and  gentle  expression,  its  useful- 
ness for  shade  in  summer,  and  for  admitting  the  sun  in  winter,  is 
peculiarly  adapted  for  pleasure-grounds,  and,  where  there  is  room, 
for  planting  near  houses  and  buildings.  * * * 

“ A light  deep  free  soil,  moist,  but  not  wet  at  bottom,  is  that  on 
which  the  oriental  plane  tree  thrives  best ; and  the  situation  should 
be  sheltered,  but  not  shaded  or  crowded  by  other  trees.  It  will 
scarcely  grow  on  strong  clays  and  on  elevated  exposed  places ; nor 
will  it  thrive  in  places  where  the  lime  tree  does  not  prosper.,,  It 
is  one  of  the  latest  trees  to  come  into  full  leaf,  but  the  foliage  is 
less  subject  to  the  ravages  of  insects  than  that  of  the  sycamore. 


THE  WILLOW.  Salix. 

The  willow  family  embraces  an  immense  number  of  species  and 
varieties.  Loudon  describes  nearly  two  hundred.  They  are  of  all 
sizes  and  forms,  from  creeping  plants  a few  inches  in  height,  up  to 
the  magnificent  weeping  willow.  The  branches  are  uniformly  slen- 
der and  flexible,  so  that  some  varieties  form  the  chief  staple  for  bas- 
ket-making. Their  growth  is  generally  rapid  and  upright,  the  weep- 
ing varieties  being  exceptional.  The  white  willow,  S.  alba,  and  the 
common  weeping  willow,  S.  babylonica,  become  large  trees  in  a few 
years.  All  the  willows  grow  in  moist  soils,  but  the  healthiest  and 
most  durable  trees  are  grown  in  a warm  well-drained  soil,  where 
water  can  be  reached  by  the  roots  at  no  great  distance  from  the  tree. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES.  387 


Fig.  122. 


A WEEPING  WILLOW  ON  8TBATFORD  AVENUE,  EAST  BRIDGEPORT,  CONN. 


The  Weeping  Willow,  Salix  babylotiica , is  by  far  the  most 
beautiful  of  this  great  family,  and  its  wonderful  combination  of 
charms  are  too  common  to  be  fully  appreciated.  It  strikes  root 
from  cuttings  as  readily  as  a currant  twig,  and  then  grows  with 
great  rapidity,  becoming  a tree  of  irregularly-rounded  masses  fifty 
’ to  sixty  feet  high  and  broad  within  twelve  or  fifteen  years  after 
planting. 

The  weeping  willow  is  the  type  of  pensile  trees.  In  their  first 
growth  the  branches  aim  bravely  upward,  but  the  slender  subsi- 
diary branches  soon  give  up  all  struggle  with  the  laws  of  gravity, 


388 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


and  resign  themselves  to  their  fall  with  a graceful  abandon  that 
is  bewitching.  The  trunk  and  great  branches  become  ruggedly 
massive  as  the  tree  reaches  maturity,  and  their  deeply-furrowed 
bark  contrasts  finely  with  the  delicacy  of  the  spray.  The  weird 
movement  of  its  drooping  plumes  of  foliage,  as  they  wave  slowly  in 
the  slightest  summer  wind,  is  unequalled  except  by  the  more  stately 
and  exquisite  palm  of  the  tropics;  the  full  beauty  of  which  can 
never  be  understood  by  those  who  have  never  seen  the  grace  of  its 
stately  motion.  But  our  willow  is  one  of  the  grandest,  as  well  as 
most  graceful,  vegetables  of  the  temperate  zone,  and  barely  yields 
to  the  oak  and  the  elm  in  majesty  of  proportion.  Fig.  122  is  a 
noble  specimen  spanning  the  old  Stratford  road  in  East  Bridge- 
port, Conn.,  growing  in  a dry,  well-drained  soil,  near  the  river  or 
bay.  It  comes  into  leaf  with  the  aspen  and  the  buckeye,  and 
holds  its  leaves  later  than  any  other  large  deciduous  tree ; often 
exhibiting  a noble  mass  of  verdure  when  the  chestnuts  and  the 
hickories,  and  even  the  maples,  are  quite  bare  of  leaves. 

There  is  no  good  reason  why  this  tree  should  be  principally 
associated  with  graveyards.  It  is  a sunny,  cheerful  tree,  full  of 
glorious  vitality,  and  always  beautiful,  though  it  may  have  faults 
that  unsuit  it  for  some  places.  These  are  brittleness  of  limbs, 
tendency  to  decay  soon  after  it  attains  large  size,  and  the  habit  of 
its  small  leaves,  when  they  fall,  to  settle  into  the  grass  and  rot 
there,  making  it  troublesome  to  keep  the  grass  clean  under  them. 
The  leaves  are  also  attractive  to  the  same  caterpillar  that  weaves 
dirty  webs  in  most  fruit  trees,  but  by  timely  attention  in  cutting 
out  and  destroying  these  nests  this  nuisance  may  be  abated.  Such 
faults  make  the  weeping  willow  unsuitable  for  planting  near  a 
residence  or  as  a street  tree.  It  must  be  remembered  that  it 
quickly  becomes  a tree  of  great  size,  and  should  not  be  planted 
where  it  will  not  have  room  for  expansion,  or  where  the  extension 
of  its  branches  will  injure  and  overtop  other  valuable  trees  or 
shrubs.  Nor  should  it  be  planted  in  any  considerable  number 
together.  All  trees  of  a highly  distinctive  character  should  be 
introduced  sparingly.  The  weeping  willow  and  the  Lombardy 
poplar  represent  two  opposite  extremes  of  individuality.  If  used 
in  the  proper  places  they  serve  by  their  very  unusual  forms  to 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


389 


enliven  or  vary  the  more  common  tree  outlines  more  perfectly  than 
most  other  trees. 

The  Ring  Willow.  Salix  annularis. — This  is  only  a variety 
of  the  weeping  willow,  curious  on  account  of  the  leaf  curling  in  the 
form  of  a ring.  Portions  of  these  trees  occasionally  return  to  the 
natural  form  of  leaf,  so  that  the  simple  form  and  the  curled  leaf  are 
both  growing  on  the  same  tree.  It  does  not  make  so  beautiful  a 
large  tree  as  the  common  sort,  and  is  scarcely  worth  planting. 

The  Golden  Willow.  Salix  vitellina. — A tree  but  little 
smaller  than  the  weeping  willow,  with  similar  leaves  and  tone  of 
foliage,  but  without  its  perfectly  pendulous  habit.  Its  peculiarity, 
and  one  which  makes  it  a marked,  and  often  a beautiful  tree,  is  the 
golden  color  of  its  young  wood.  When  the  tree  is  clothed  with 
leaves,  the  yellow  twigs  seen  through  them  give  additional  warmth 
of  tone  to  their  color,  and  when  bare  of  leaves  makes  a bright  and 
cheerful  winter  tree.  It  is  irregularly  round-headed  in  outline,  and 
less  broad  in  proportion  than  the  weeping  willow.  The  lights  and 
shades  in  its  head  are  softly  blended,  and  the  lightness  and  warm 
color  of  its  foliage  contrast  well  with  trees  having  dark  foliage  or 
abrupt  shadows.  There  is  a beautiful  specimen  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Mall  in  the  New  York  Central  Park. 

The  White  Willow,  Salix  alba , and  the  Russell  or  Bedford 
Willow,  S.  Russelliana , are  both  English  varieties  long  domesti- 
cated in  this  country.  They  become  large  trees  with  great  rapidity 
— attaining  a height  of  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  thirty  years.  With 
the  exception  of  the  color  of  the  bark  they  have  the  same  general 
characteristics  as  the  golden  willow. 

The  Glossy-leaved  Willow,  5.  lucida, , is  a native  shrub  of 
considerable  beauty,  described  by  Gray  in  the  Natural  History  of 
- New  York  as  “a  shrub  eight  to  fifteen  feet  high,  with  shining  yel- 
lowish-brown bark.  Buds  yellowish,  smooth.  Leaves  three  to  five 
inches  long,  and  an  inch  or  more  in  width,  rather  obtuse  when 
young,  but  tapering  at  maturity  to  a long  slender  point,  and  rather 
acute  at  the  base.  A very  handsome  willow.” 


390 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


There  are  hundreds  of  varieties  of  wild  willows  in  wet  places, 
most  of  which  would  not  be  valuable  in  pleasure  grounds.  The 
following  are  some  of  the  dwarf  varieties  that  are  sold  in  our 
nurseries,  and  are  quite  as  popular  as  their  merits  warrant. 

The  Rosemary-leaved  Willow,  S.  rosemarifolia , grafted 
standard  high,  is  a small  globular-headed  tree,  with  branches  radi- 
ating regularly  from  the  centre.  Foliage  a dull  grayish-green. 
Adapted  for  cutting  into  a formal  outline,  but  inferior  to  hundreds 
of  other  shrubs  and  trees  for  that  purpose.  Of  little  value. 

The  Goat  Willow,  S.  caprea,  in  several  varieties,  with  varie- 
gated leaves,  are  curious,  but  not  of  much  value. 

The  Kilmarnock  Willow  is  the  finest  of  the  dwarf  willows, 
and  quite  distinct  in  appearance  from  the  others.  It  is  grafted 
from  four  to  seven  feet  high  on  the  S.  caprea,  and  forms,  without 
trimming,  a perfect  umbrella  head,  with  tips  growing  always  toward 
the  ground.  It  is  so  neat  in  form,  and  thrifty,  that  though  only 
recently  introduced  in  the  country,  it  is  to  be  seen  in  nearly  every 
village  yard.  It  is  desirable  to  obtain  specimens  budded  not  less 
than  seven  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  New  American  or  Fountain  Willow,  S.  americcina 
pendula , is  another  so-called  dwarf  variety,  which,  when  budded 
standard  high  on  an  upright  stock,  is  remarkable  for  the  horizon- 
tality  of  its  growth  and  pendulous  branches,  which  hang  like  those 
of  the  old  wTeeping  willow.  It  covers  a large  area,  and  should  not 
be  planted  on  the  supposition  that  being  a dwarf  it  needs  but  little 
space,  for  in  lateral  extension  it  is  no  dwarf  at  all. 


THE  LOCUSTS  OR  ACACIAS. 

The  Black  or  Yellow  Locust.  Robinia  pseud-acacia. — Were 
it  a healthy  tree  we  would  place  this  in  the  front  rank  of  ornamental 
trees  of  the  second  class  in  size.  In  delicacy,  grace,  and  luxuri- 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


391 


ance  of  foliage  and  purity  of  color,  it  has,  when  in  health,  no 
superior,  blending  lightness  of  spray  and  massiveness  of  shadows 
to  a degree  seldom  equalled.  The  blossoms,  too,  in  abundant 
racemes  in  May  and  June,  white  and  very  fragrant,  are  worthy  of 
the  foliage.  But  a healthy  locust  tree  is  rarely  seen,  especially  after 
the  first  ten  years’  growth.  Almost  everywhere  the  borer,  a pesti- 
lent worm,  chooses  the  trunk  of  this  tree  for  his  home,  and  its 
scantier  foliage,  dead  limbs,  and  general  look  of  seedy  gentility, 
show  too  quickly  the  result.  It  has  also  some  faults  even  in  health 
that  warn  us  not  to  fall  too  much  in  love  with  it.  The  branches 
break  easily  in  summer  winds,  the  roots  sucker  badly,  the  leaves  are 
late  to  expand,  and  the  tree  even  without  the  attacks  of  the  borer 
is  short-lived. 

The  R.  p -a  bessoniana  is  a variety  of  strong  growth,  which  is 
thornless,  and  regarded  by  some  nurserymen  as  the  finest  of  the 
family  of  acacias. 

There  are  several  other  varieties ; one  with  light-pink  flowers, 
but  with  no  other  marked  differences  as  ornamental  trees. 

The  Gummy  Acacia.  Robinia  viscosa  or  glutmosa. — This  is  a 
smaller  species  than  the  preceding,  and  grows  mostly  in  the  south- 
ern States,  but  is  hardy  as  far  north  as  Albany,  N.  Y.  It  blooms  a 
month  later  than  the  pseud-acacia , and  the  flowers  are  of  a pale  pink 
color,  without  fragrance.  In  foliage  it  closely  resembles  the  common 
sort.  The  bark  exudes  a gummy  substance,  from  which  character- 
istic has  arisen  its  botanical  name.  The  shorter  and  more  com- 
pact growth  of  this  species,  its  beautiful  foliage  and  pretty  bloom, 
make  it  one  of  the  most  desirable  of  the  acacias  for  small  places. 

The  Rose  Acacia,  R.  hispida  rosea , is  a trailing  straggling 
shrub  rather  than  tree.  The  foliage  is  much  like  that  of  the  com-’ 
mon  locust,  but  its  young  wood  is  covered  with  mossy  soft  brown 
prickles.  Its  flowers,  in  rosy  racemes  about  four  inches  long,  ap- 
pear in  June,  in  great  abundance,  and  continue  blossoming  more 
or  less  through  the  summer.  The  R.  h.  macrophylla  is  a variety 
with  larger  leaves,  and  without  prickles  on  the  young  wood.  There 
are  few  more  superb  bloomers  among  shrubs  than  the  rose  acacia, 


392 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


but  its  habit  of  growth  is  so  straggling  and  tortuous  that  it  needs 
much  care  to  keep  it  in  a form  suitable  in  polished  grounds.  It  is 
recommended  to  have  a single  stem  tied  to  a strong  cedar  post  six 
or  eight  feet  high  (which  should  be  permanent),  with  a wire  parasol- 
like frame  fixed  to  the  top  to  support  the  branches  and  allow  them 
to  fall  on  all  sides  from  it.  Thus  trained  there  is  no  more  exquisite 
flowering-shrub.  The  post  alone  will,  if  care  is  taken  to  keep  the 
stem  tied  to  it  so  as  not  to  injure  the  bark,  be  sufficient  to  keep 
the  tree  in  good  shape. 

The  Three-thorned  Acacia  or  Honey  Locust.  Gleditschia. 
— A large  and  curious  native  of  our  forests,  armed  at  all  points  with 
enormous  compound  thorns  which  grow  even  through  the  old  bark 
of  the  trunk  as  well  as  on  the  branches,  and  arm  all  parts  of  the 
tree  in  the  most  formidable  manner.  Downing  gives  the  tree  high 
rank  for  ornamental  purposes.  We  have  seen  much  of  it,  in  favor- 
able circumstances,  and  although  it  exceeds  the  Robinias  in  the 
flaky  lightness  of  its  foliage,  and  in  picturesqueness  of  outline,  it 
is  inferior  to  them  in  every  other  respect,  and  is  a desirable  tree 
only  for  the  merits  just  named,  which  make  it  suitable  as  a pictur- 
esque condiment  among  trees  of  heavy  outlines.  Like  the  beech, 
though  its  branches  form  angles  of  about  45 0 with  the  main  stem 
when  the  tree  is  young,  the  exterior  foliage  is  disposed  in  horizontal 
strata,  recalling  by  their  appearance  pictures  of  old  cedars  of 
Lebanon.  Old  trees  especially,  with  their  tabular  tops,  are  re- 
markable for  this  appearance.  The  thorns  of  the  honey  locust 
which  occasionally  die  out  and  drop  off,  are  dangerous,  as  they  lie 
concealed  in  the  grass,  to  the  feet  of  those  who  walk  under  them ; 
and  this  fact  is  an  objection  to  the  tree  where  there  are  children. 
In  blossom  the  tree  is  less  showy  than  the  common  locusts.  The 
seed  pods  which  succeed  the  blossoms  are  from  five  to  nine  inches 
long ; and  though  the  seeds  ripen  early  in  autumn,  the  pods  them- 
selves remain  dry  and  hard  upon  the  tree  through  the  winter,  and 
sometimes  for  more  than  a year,  and  are  unsightly. 

There  are  some  Chinese  species  or  varieties,  G.  sinensis , whose 
characteristics  are  not  sufficiently  known  to  describe.  Loudon 
mentions  the  G.  s.  purpurea  as  “ a small  tree  of  compact  upright 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


393 


growth,  very  suitable  for  gardens  of  limited  extent.”  The  G.  s. 
inermis  is  a small  sort  without  thorns,  said  to  be  suitable  for  small 
grounds. 

Fig.  123. 


THE  SOPHORA.  Sophora. 

The  Japan  Sophora.  Sophora  japonica. — Considering  the 
delicacy  of  its  foliage,  its  purity  and  depth  of  color,  and  the  hardi- 
ness of  the  tree,  it  is  curious  that  so  few  fine  specimens  of  this  tree 
are  yet  to  be  seen  in  this  country.  Fig.  123  is  the  portrait  of  a 
full-grown  tree  in  the  Syon  Park,  England.  We  have  heard  of  no 
large  specimens  in  this  country.  The  tree  here  shown  * was  fifty- 
seven  feet  high,  eighty-four  feet  wide  across  its  branches,  and  four 
, and  one-half  feet  diameter  of  trunk.  This  size  is  probably  its 
greatest,  as  nearly  all  the  trees  growing  in  that  famous  park  attain 
unusual  dimensions.  The  foliage  of  the  sophora  closely  resembles 
that  of  the  common  locust,  but  is  a little  darker.  The  young  wood 


* From  Loudon’s  Arboretum  Britannicum,  Vol.  V,  p.  76. 


394 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


is  dark  green.  The  tree  is  believed  to  be  hardy,  and,  as  far  as  we 
can  learn,  is  not  subject  to  the  attacks  of  the  borer  which  destroys 
our  locust  trees.  Loudon  says  of  it:  “None  of  the  arboreous 
leguminacae  are  equal  to  this  tree  in  beauty  of  foliage  and  bark 
Its  flowers  (which  are  cream-colored  and  appear  in  August),  when 
they  are  produced,  are  also  in  large  terminal-compound  spikes,  and 
very  conspicuous,  though  smaller  than  those  of  the  Robinia  viscosa. 
One  remarkable  property  in  the  sophora  is,  that  the  very  hottest 
and  driest  seasons  do  not  pale  the  foliage,  or  cause  it  to  drop  off.” 
The  peculiar  tone  of  its  foliage  is  a deep  velvety  green,  that  is 
unequalled  by  any  deciduous  tree  we  know  of.  It  requires  a thor- 
oughly drained  soil.  The  leaves  are  among  the  last  to  surrender 
to  autumn  frosts,  and  turn  to  a yellowish-green  before  they  fall. 
The  bark  exhales  a strong  odor  when  cut,  and  is  said  to  produce 
colic  on  those  who  are  engaged  in  pruning  the  tree. 

The  Weeping  Japan  Sophora,  S.j.  pendula,  is  the  finest  of 
small  pendulous  trees  when  grafted  on  a thrifty  stock  at  a height 

of  seven  to  twelve  feet  from  the 
ground.  Its  young  branches  are 
green  and  somewhat  angular  or 
crooked,  so  that  in  winter  the 
tree  has  a knotted  and  curious 
look*  Its  deep  velvety-green 
color,  delicately  formed  acacia- 
like foliage,  and  the  bold  breaks 
of  light  and  shade  in  its  head, 
altogether  make  so  rich  an  effect 
as  to  attract  the  attention  of  all  observers.  It  is,  at  the  same  time, 
symmetrical  and  picturesque,  while  the  Kilmarnock  willow  is  mo- 
notonously symmetrical  or  lumpish.  It  seems  to  be  difficult  to 
propagate  this  variety.  Specimens  well  started,  standard  height, 
still  command  a high  price  at  the  nurseries.  Fig.  124  is  a 
representation  of  the  prettiest  specimen  of  the  weeping  Japan 
sophora  we  have  seen,  growing  in  the  deep  rich  sandy  loam  of 
Parsons’  specimen  grounds  at  Flushing,  L.  I.  It  is  grafted  but 
seven  feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  branches,  spreading  first  with 


Fig.  124. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


395 


irregular  horizontal ity,  finally  droop  till  they  meet  the  ground,  form- 
ing a perfect  and  deeply-shaded  bower.  The  tree  covers  an  area 
about  sixteen  feet  in  diameter,  and  is  of  equal  height.  The  en- 
graving might  naturally  be  mistaken  for  a weeping  willow,  while 
the  tree  itself,  by  the  deeper  green  of  its  foliage,  and  the  marked 
difference  in  the  position  of  its  leaves,  is  at  once  distinguishable 
from  a willow,  with  which,  indeed,  it  would  form  a pleasing  contrast 
in  all  but  its  form,  and  the  common,  though  differing  delicacy  of 
their  foliage. 

We  consider  this  a hardy  tree;  but,  if  one  would  quickly  realize 
its  full  dower  of  beauty,  it  must  have  unusual  care.  First,  very  deep 
drainage  is  essential  to  its  health.  Second,  a young  tree,  which  is 
budded  or  grafted  from  seven  to  ten  feet  high,  having  no  side  limbs 
and  foliage  to  strengthen  its  trunk  while  the  artificial  head  is  form- 
ing, must  be  supported  a few  years  by  short  stakes,  and  protected 
both  in  summer  and  winter  from  the  sun  and  the  cold  by  matting 
bound  around  the  trunk,  and  thorough  mulching  over  the  roots. 
The  deep  drainage,  after  five  years’  growth,  will  have  invited  the 
roots  down  to  soil  which  is  never  frozen,  and  then,  if  the  tree  has 
had  a healthy  growth,  further  precautions  may  not  be  needed. 
The  matting  should  be  taken  off  the  trunk  early  every  spring  and 
fall,  and  renewed  for  both  summer  and  winter  protection. 

Sophora  heptaphylla. — A Chinese  shrub,  six  feet  high,  with  yel- 
low flowers  in  October.  Leaves  with  seven  leaflets.  Little  known. 


THE  VIRGILIA.  Virgilia  lutea. 

Downing  remarked  more  than  twenty  years  ago  that  this  fine 
tree  was  still  very  rare  in  our  ornamental  plantations,  and  the 
observation  is  as  true  now  as  then.  Mr.  Thomas  Meehan,  of  Ger- 
mantown, Pa.,  informs  us  that  the  tree  is  one  of  the  most  difficult 
to  get  established ; and  this,  not  because  of  its  want  of  hardiness, 
for  when  once  well  established,  it  does  not  seem  to  suffer  from 
cold  in  the  most  exposed  location  at  Philadelphia,  nor  in  ordinary 
exposure  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.  It  is  said  to  be  simply  not  tenacious 


396 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


of  life  when  young,  or  perhaps  unusually  fastidious  in  soils.  On 
the  other  hand,  a planter  in  Rochester  tells  us  that  he  has  no  more 
difficulty  in  making  it  grow  than  with  any  other  tree. 

The  virgilia  forms  a compact  head  usually  heavier  on  one  side 
than  the  other  ; and  somewhat  resembles  the  horse-chestnut,  though 
its  foliage  is  of  finer  texture,  and  its  leaves  mass  in  short  hori- 
zontal layers,  forming  sharper  lights  and  shadows.  These  shadows 
are  as  sharply  defined  as  those  of  the  beech  tree,  but  not  so  thin, 
nor  so  regular.  The  color  of  the  foliage  is  remarkable  for  its 
purity.  The  leaves  are  compound,  and  a little  larger  than  those 
of  the  shell-bark  hickory,  with  from  five  to  eleven  alternate,  ovate, 
pointed  leaflets.  The  leaves  expand  with  the  hickory,  and  keep 
the  purity  of  their  color  till  frosts,  when  they  turn  to  a warm 
yellow. 

The  flowers  appear  about  the  middle  of  May  in  large  white 
racemes  or  clusters  of  pea-shaped  blossoms  six  to  eight  inches 
long,  and  cover  the  tree,  so  that  it  is  then  one  of  the  most  charming 
of  all  trees.  It  commences  to  bloom  young,  and  develops  its 
beauty  from  the  start.  The  bark  is  so  smooth  that  this  feature 
alone  would  attract  attention  to  the  tree,  and  suggest  the  con- 
clusion which  all  its  other  traits  confirm,  that  it  is  one  of  the  most 
polished  and  elegant  of  lawn  trees.  It  will  show  to  best  advantage 
if  planted  northward  from  the  point  from  which  it  is  to  be  seen 
most,  so  that  its  southern  side  will  be  towards  the  observer,  and 
its  northern  and  western  sides  can  be  shielded  from  wind  by  ever- 
greens. A dry,  deeply-drained,  porous  soil  is  essential  ; and  also 
full  exposure  to  the  sun,  and  some  protection  from  wind. 

At  the  residence  of  Miss  Price,  Manheim  street,  Germantown, 
Pa.,  the  tree  mentioned  by  Michaux  forty  years  ago  as  a fine  speci- 
men at  that  time,  is  still  a hale  tree,  sixty  feet  high,  and  extends 
its  branches  over  about  seventy  feet,  mostly  on  one  side  of  the 
trunk,  the  other  side  being  shaded  and  confined  by  large  pines  and 
a lofty  cucumber  tree  that  overtops  it.  It  is  remarked  by  those 
familiar  with  the  tree  that  there  seems  an  irresistible  tendency  of 
the  virgilia  to  grow  principally  on  one  side,  even  when  fully  ex- 
posed on  all  sides  to  the  sun.  The  place  where  this  virgilia  grows 
is  completely  exposed  to  the  deepest  freezing  of  the  soil ; as  the 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


397 


street,  which  passes  within  twenty  feet  of  its  trunk,  has  been  cut 
down  four  feet  below  the  level  of  the  ground  about  the  tree,  the 
latter  being  supported  by  a wall  on  the  street  line.  The  extension 
of  this  tree  is  over  the  road,  which  is  also  on  the  south  side. 

In  the  old  Bartrant  garden,  south  of  Philadelphia  (now  the 
residence  of  A.  M.  Eastwick,  Esq.),  is  a beautiful  specimen  of  the 
virgilia.  It  is  thirty  feet  high,  thirty-five  feet  in  diameter  of  head, 
with  a trunk  fifteen  inches  thick.  This  tree  grows  principally  on 
the  west  side ; and  in  September,  when  the  authbr  saw  it,  was  a 
superb  mass  of  foliage.  In  size  the  virgilia  is  inferior  to  the  horse- 
chestnut,  and  when  young  not  so  compact,  but  with  age  it  bears 
more  resemblance  to  that  tree  than  to  any  other  species,  though 
they  are  readily  distinguished  from  each  other  by  the  sharper 
shadow-lines  of  the  virgilia,  and  the  finer  quality  and  different 
character  of  the  leaves. 


THE  KENTUCKY  COFFEE-TREE.  Gymnocladus  canadensis. 

This  curious  tree  is  a sort  of  combination  of  the  peculiarities  of 
many  trees.  In  its  stubby  cane-like  young  branches,  and  doubly- 
compound  leaves,  it  resembles  the  large  shrub  or  small  tree  called 
Hercules  club;  in  the  massing  and  breaks  of  its  foliage  it  re- 
sembles a fine  black  or  yellow  locust,  though  its  leaves  are  not  so 
delicate ; while  in  outline  it  is  like  the  black  walnut,  but  with  a 
heavier  and  more  rounded  or  oval  contour.  Its  young  branches  are 
so  cane-like,  and  without  any  indication  of  buds,  that  the  tree  in 
winter  has  the  appearance  of  being  dead.  The  bark  of  the  trunk 
is  also  extremely  rough,  and  curiously  broken  transversely.  The 
leaves  on  young  trees  are  three  feet  long,  and  twenty  inches  wide, 
but  much  smaller  on  mature  trees.  Each  main  leaf  stalk  bears 
from  four  to  seven  pairs  of  compound  leaves,  each  of  which  is  com- 
posed of  from  six  to  eight  pairs  of  leaflets,  so  that  each  main 
petiole,  or  leaf-stem,  may  bear  from  forty-eight  to  one  hundred  and 
seventy-four  leaflets ! The  leaflets  are  of  a bluish  green,  and  the 
general  tone  of  the  tree  is  not  among  the  most  lively  greens.  The 
blossoms  are  borne  in  short  spikes  from  May  to  July.  The  leaves 


398 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


come  out  late,  and  drop  early,  turning  yellow  before  they  fall.  The 
male  and  female  blossoms  of  this  species  are  borne  on  separate 
trees.  It  becomes  a tree  of  secondary  size,  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet 
in  height.  The  early  growth  is  more  rapid  than  that  of  the  sugar 
maple,  but  is  about  the  same  in  their  later  stages. 


THE  AILANTUS.  Ailantus . 

This  exotic,  so  popular  thirty  years  ago,  is  certainly  now  “ in 
bad  odor.”  Its  rank  growth  when  young,  its  luxuriant  and  grace- 
ful compound  leaves,  from  three  to  six  feet  in  length,  and  the  fact 
of  its  novelty,  both  in  growth  and  name,  when  introduced  from 
China  (the  latter  being  no  less  a title  than  the  “ tree  of  heaven  ” — a 
title  erroneously  given,  but  piously  adhered  to  by  those  who  were 
selling  them),  altogether  caused  it  to  be  planted  to  an  extent  that 
its  character,  on  a better  acquaintance,  does  not  warrant.  It  had 
the  additional  misfortune  to  be  mostly  planted  as  a street  tree  in 
cities ; just  where  its  great  fault  is  most  felt,  and  its  beauties  least 
appreciated.  This  fault  is  the  unpleasant  odor  of  its  blossoms, 
which,  to  a few  persons,  is  reputed  poisonous. 

It  is  a quality  which  should  place  it  under  ban  for  street  plant- 
ing, but  not  one  of  sufficient  gravity  to  require  us  to  banish  it  from 
parts  of  pleasure-grounds  at  a little  distance  from  streets  and  resi- 
dences. The  odor  of  new-mown  hay,  and  even  of  roses  and  straw- 
berries, is  nauseating  and  productive  of  fevers  to  a few  unfortunately 
organized  persons ; but  such  exceptional  facts  do  not  prove  them 
to  be  poisonous.  The  odor  of  the  flowers  of  the  ailantus  is  dis- 
agreeable to  almost  every  one,  but  it  lasts  but  a short  time  ; and  if 
the  tree  can  be  planted  at  a respectful  distance  from  walks  and 
windows,  it  does  not  seem  to  us  a sufficient  cause  to  abandon  the 
cultivation  of  so  beautiful  and  peculiar  a tree. 

The  exceedingly  rapid  growth  of  the  ailantus  when  quite  young, 
sometimes  making  canes  in  a single  season  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
long,  would  be  a merit,  if  this  wood  could  be  kept  from  winter-killing. 
But  this  very  rank  growth  is  generally  killed  back  in  winter.  Such  a 
growth  being  excessive,  it  is  evident  that  the  tree  will  start  more 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


399 


* 


hardily  in  dry  poor  soils ; for  which,  in  fact,  it  is  admirably  adapted. 
But  it  is  only  during  the  first  five  years  after  planting  (that  care  must 
be  taken  to  keep  down  its  vigor.  When  deeply  rooted  the  rate  of 
growth  is  slower,  and  as  it  becomes  a spreading  tree,  its  beauty  is 
greatly  heightened  by  having  a rich  surface  soil. 

The  ailantus  forms  a low,  square,  broad  head.  There  are  no 
full  grown  trees  in  this  country,  but  we  believe  it  will  attain  a height 
and  breadth  of  about  sixty  feet  in  the  climate  of  Philadelphia,  and 
somewhat  less  north. 

There  are  many  features  of  the  ailantus  that  give  it  a rare  and 
peculiar  beauty,  admirably  suited  to  add  to  the  variety  of  colors  and 
forms  in  groups  of  trees.  We  have  no  tree  that  can  take  its  place; 
none  with  such  immense  compound  leaves,  which  alone  give  the  tree 
an  unique  character ; and  they  are  thrust  out  boldly  from  the  tree, 
thus  showing  their  character  to  the  best  advantage.  Their  color  is 
also  of  that  thrifty  yellowish-green,  rare  among  our  native  trees, 
and  therefore  more  needed  in  contrast  with  them.  The  flowers, 
in  large  terminal  panicles,  of  a yellowish-green  color,  appear  in 
May  and  June,  and  cover  the  tree  with  a feathery  flowering  that  is 
very  pleasing  to  the  eye,  however  unpleasant  in  odor.  In  autumn 
these  blossoms  are  changed  to  great  masses  of  yellow  and  orange- 
brown  seed-clusters  that  add  greatly  to  beauty  of  the  tree,  and 
heighten  the  individuality  of  its  expression.  The  leaves  when 
touched  by  the  cold  occasionally  turn  a fine  yellow,  but  drop 
quickly.  The  bark  of  the  young  wood  is  of  a golden  hue,  and 
that  of  the  trunk  quite  dark  colored. 


THE  LIQUIDAMBER  OR  SWEET  GUM.  Liquidamber. 

This  is  a great  favorite  in  English  parks,  was  warmly  com- 
mended by  Downing  twenty  years  ago,  and  is  widely  distributed  in 
its  wild  state  throughout  our  country ; yet  to  this  day  it  is  almost 
unknown  to  a majority  of  suburban  planters.  The  tree  bears  a 
general  resemblance  in  form  and  foliage  to  the  sugar  maple,  and 
grows  to  about  the  same  size ; but  when  young  has  a more  pointed 
top  and  conical  form  ; the  leaves,  however,  are  more  star-like, 


■* 


400 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


Fig.  125. 


thicker  in  texture,  more  deeply  lobed,  as  shown  on  Fig.  125,  and 
glossier  than  the  leaves  of  the  maple. 

This  engraving  is  a portrait  of  a fine 
specimen  about  forty  years  old,  growing 
in  the  grounds  of  T.  S.  Shepherd,  Esq., 
at  Orienta,  near  Mamaroneck,  N.  Y.  It 
was  transplanted  to  its  present  location 
from  an  adjoining  field  when  the  trunk 
was  nearly  twelve  inches  in  diameter, 
and  has  become  a luxuriant  tree  again. 
During  the  summer  the  tree  may  be 
easily  mistaken  for  an  unusually  dark 
and  glossy-leaved  sugar  maple,  but  is 
distinguished  from  it  not  only  by  the 
peculiarities  of  its  leaves,  already  men- 
tioned, but  by  the  curious  appearance  of  its  secondary  branches  to 
which  the  bark  is  attached  in  corky  ridges  as  on  the  cork-barked 
elm,  giving  the  branches  a more  rugged  appearance. 

The  tree  is  found  from  New  Hampshire  to  the  Isthmus  of 
Darien ; but  it  is  only  at  the  south  that  a characteristic  which  gives 
the  tree  its  name  is  observed.  A fragrant  gum  there  exudes  from 
its  bark,  which  resembles  liquidamber,  and  the  tree  was  so  named 
by  the  Spanish  naturalist  who  first  described  it. 

Downing’s  enthusiastic  description  of  this  tree  is  so  good  that 
we  transcribe  it  for  the  reader. 

“We  hardly  know  a more  beautiful  tree  than  the  liquidamber 
in  every  stage  of  its  growth,  and  during  every  season  of  the  year. 
Its  outline  is  not  picturesque  or  graceful,  but  simply  beautiful ; 
* * * it  is,  therefore,  a highly  pleasing  round-headed  or  taper- 

ing tree,  which  unites  and  harmonizes  well  with  almost  any  other  in 
composition ; but  the  chief  beauty  lies  in  the  foliage.  During  the 
whole  of  the  summer  months  it  preserves  unsoiled  that  dark  glossy 
freshness  which  is  so  delightful  to  the  eye ; while  the  singular, 
regularly  palmate  form  of  the  leaves  readily  distinguishes  it  from 
the  common  trees  of  a plantation.  But  in  autumn  it  assumes  its 
gayest  livery,  and  is  decked  in  colors  almost  too  bright  and  vivid 
for  foliage,  forming  one  of  the  most  brilliant  objects  in  American 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


401 


scenery  at  that  season  of  the  year.  The  prevailing  tint  of  the 
foliage  is  then  a deep  purplish  red,  unlike  any  symptom  of  decay, 
and  quite  as  rich  as  are  commonly  seen  in  the  darker  blossoms  of 
a dutch  parterre.  This  is  sometimes  varied  by  a shade  deeper  or 
lighter,  and  occasionally  in  orange  tint  is  assumed.  When  planted 
in  the  neighborhood  of  our  fine  maples,  ashes,  and  other  trees  re- 
markable for  their  autumnal  coloring,  the  effect  in  a warm  dry 
autumn  is  almost  magical.” 

Loudon  says  of  it : “ When  bruised,  the  leaves  are  fragrant  at 
all  seasons  ; but  in  the  spring,  when  they  are  at  first  unfolding  after 
a warm  shower,  the  surrounding  air  is  filled  with  their  refreshing 
odor.” 

The  liquidamber  does  best  in  a moist  soil  and  sheltered  situa- 
tion. Though  less  beautiful  in  dry  gravelly  soils  than  the  sugar 
maple,  its  form,  and  leaves,  and  autumn  colors,  ally  it  to  the  maple 
family,  and  it  should  be  planted  where  trees  of  that  species  are 
made  a specialty.  We  will  add  one  trait  of  its  autumn  color  that 
is  not  included  in  Downing’s  excellent  description — its  peculiar 
golden  bronze  tone,  caused  by  the  mingling  of  green,  yellow  and  red 
leaves  in  its  head.  This  tone  is,  at  the  first  glance,  less  brilliant 
than  the  colors  of  the  scarlet  maple  and  scarlet  oak ; but  as  the 
eye  rests  upon  the  tree  it  seems  to  drink  deeper  and  deeper  of 
the  colors  until  the  tree  fairly  seems  to  glow  with  a fascination  re- 
motely allied  to  the  effect  produced  by  gazing  at  the  clouds  and 
sky  of  a gorgeous  sunset. 


THE  TUPELO  OR  PEPERIDGE  TREE.  Nyssa, 

There  are  several  species  of  the  tupelo.  The  common  one 
in  the  northern  States  is  the  Nyssa  biflora , or  twin-flowered, 
known  in  some  regions  as  the  sour  gum.  It  is  usually  found  in 
* wet  ground,  and  when  grown  in  swampy  places  is  a conical,  rigid, 
gloomy  tree.  Its  branches  are  in  level  strata  around  a centre 
stem  like  those  of  the  firs,  and  have  the  same  hard,  thorny  rami- 
fication Of  twigs  that  characterizes  the  pin  oak.  Its  top  in  the 
forest  usually  turns  to  one  side  after  the  tree  is  from  thirty  to  forty 
26 


402 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


feet  high.  In  swampy  ground  we  have  seen  trees  from  sixty  to 
seventy  feet  high,  and  covered  to  the  base  with  wiry  branches. 
The  trunk  rarely  exceeds  eighteen  inches  in  diameter. 

In  warm  rich  and  moist  soils  the  tupelo 
changes  its  character  and  becomes  a wide- 
spreading  small  tree,  still  retaining  its 
tendency  to  a conical  form  in  some  de- 
gree. Fig.  126  is  a characteristic  form 
of  the  tupelo,  being  the  portrait  of  a tree 
about  thirty  years  old,  grown  on  a com- 
mon dry  upland,  but  does  not  do  justice 
to  the  clearness  of  its  shadows.  On  rich 
ground  it  spreads  more,  and  takes  the 
form  of  a small  cedar  of  Lebanon. 

The  leaves  of  the  tupelo  are  about 
three  inches  long,  pointed-oval,  thick,  uncommonly  glossy,  and  of 
a dark  green.  They  appear  late  in  the  spring,  and  fall  early ; but 
before  they  fall  their  color  is  unsurpassed  in  purity  and  brilliancy  by 
that  of  any  other  tree,  varying  from  a fiery  scarlet  to  a deep  crim- 
son. It  is  an  essential  tree  in  any  group  designed  to  exhibit  the 
brilliancy  of  autumn  foliage,  and  a pleasing  lawn  tree  at  all  times 
when  in  leaf.  When  out  of  leaf  its  dark  bark  and  angular  twiggi- 
ness  is  not  pleasing.  The  tree  is  easily  transplanted,  and  will 
grow  in  any  moist  soil,  but  improves  like  most  other  trees  in 
proportion  as  the  soil  is  deep  and  rich. 

The  other  varieties  of  the  tupelo  are  the  N.  grandidenta,  or 
tooth-leaved,  a large  tree  of  the  southern  States  ; the  N.  candicans , 
or  Ogeechee  lime  tree,  a southern  tree  also,  of  smaller  size ; and  the 
N.  sylvatica , or  black  gum — none  of  them  notable  for  their  beauty. 


Fig.  126. 


THE  CHERRY  TREE.  Cerasus. 

The  edible  fruit-trees  of  the  cherry  family  are  divided  into  two 
classes,  viz  : the  C.  sylvestris , or  wild  black-fruited,  and  C.  vulgaris ; 
the  latter  embracing  all  the  Kentish,  morello,  and  sour  red  cher- 
ries ; and  it  is  supposed  that  all  the  finer  varieties  of  cherries  have 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


403 


sprung  from  these  parents.  Our  native  wild  cherry,  with  black 
fruit,  is  the  Cerasus  virginiana. 

There  is  no  fruit-bearing  tree  so  essential  to  a suburban  home 
as  the  cherry-tree.  Climbing  into  its  branches  to  eat  cherries  is 
one  of  the  pleasantest  of  June  enjoyments  for  young  or  old.  Half 
the  pleasure  of  eating  cherries  is  in  plucking  them  where  they 
hang.  Some  large  fruits  may  be  bought  more  economically  than 
they  can  be  raised  on  suburban  lots,  but  cherries  are  emphatically 
the  fruit-trees  of  village  homes. 

The  number  of  varieties  in  cultivation  for  their  fruit  are  listed 
by  hundreds  in  the  nursery  catalogues.  We  shall  attempt  no 
enumeration  of  these,  but  simply  give  the  names  of  a few  standard 
sorts,  and  describe  more  fully  only  such  as  are  particularly  known 
as  ornamental  trees. 

The  following  varieties,  ripening  pretty  nearly  in  the  order 
named,  are  among  the  best  for  fruit : Baumann’s  May,  a rank  up- 
right grower,  forming  a conical  tree  ; the  early  purple  Guigne,  a 
globular  tree  with  small  and  numerous  branches  ; Knight’s  early 
black,  a strong  grower,  rather  spreading ; the  black  tartarian,  of 
strong  fastigiate  growth ; the  Mayduke,  globular  and  compact ; 
Elton,  pyramidal ; Downer’s  late,  rather  compact ; Downton,  pyra- 
midal ; late  Duke,  similar  to  Mayduke  in  form.  Nearly  all  the  best- 
fruited  sorts  form  handsome  trees,  though  many  of  them  in  the 
western  States  are  more  tender  and  liable  to  disease  than  wildings. 
The  reader  is  referred  to  fruit-books  for  a selection  of  cherries 
suited  to  special  localities.  All  the  fine  cherries  seem  to  do  much 
better  on  gravelly  and  clayey  soils  than  in  a light  sandy  loam,  or 
rich  alluvium,  and  should  never  be  forced  into  rapid  growth  for  the 
first  five  years  after  planting.  In  rich  soils  their  growth  is  so 
rapid,  when  young,  as  to  engender  diseases  before  they  are  full 
grown,  especially  where  there  is  not  good  subsoil  drainage. 

The  following,  known  as  bird  cherries,  are  planted  solely  for 
ornament : 

The  European  Bird  Cherry,  Cerasus  padus>  is  considered  by 
many  one  of  the  most  ornamental  of  small  shrubby  trees.  That 
excellent  horticultural  authority,  Thomas  Meehan,  of  Germantown, 


404 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


Pa.,  says  of  it : “ For  a single  specimen  on  a lawn,  it  is  not  ex- 
celled. Its  habit  is  good,  and  its  flowering  abundant.”  The  leaves 
are  rather  narrower  and  thinner  than  those  of  the  common  cherry. 
The  flowers  are  white,  in  racemes  from  two  to  five  inches  long,  and 
appear  in  May.  The  fruit,  ripe  in  August,  is  black,  austere,  and 
poisonous,  but  showy,  from  the  abundant  racemes  that  cover  the 
tree.  The  growth  when  young  is  rapid,  somewhat  straggling,  and 
is  improved  by  clipping.  Form  at  maturity,  oblate.  Height 
twenty  to  thirty  feet. 

The  Cerasus  padus  bracteosa  is  a variety  of  the  above,  especially 
recommended  in  England  on  account  of  its  larger  racemes  of  pen- 
dulous flowers  and  fruit. 

The  Mehaleb  Cherry,  C.  mehaleb , has  a large  glossy  leaf, 
rapid  growth,  and  symmetric  form,  giving  promise  of  great  beauty 
when  young,  but  as  it  comes  to  full  size  the  foliage  becomes 
meagre,  and  the  mass  of  branches  conspicuous,  making  it  a tree  of 
little  beauty.  It  forms  a round  head,  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high. 

The  American  Wild  Cherry,  C.  virginiana  ( serotina  ? ) grows 
wild  all  over  our  country.  It  is  a large  tree,  and  one  of  considera- 
ble beauty  at  every  age.  The  bark  and  berries  are  used  in  spirits 
to  make  infusions  that  are  considered  medicinal.  It  is  a compan- 
ion for  the  birches  in  the  lightness  or  slenderness  and  partial 
pendulousness  of  its  outer  spray,  but  the  opposite  of  that  family  in 
the  color  of  its  bark  and  leaves  ; the  young  wood  being  very  dark, 
purplish,  and  the  leaves  also  dark,  but  glossy.  The  characteristic 
form  of  the  tree  is  squarish-oval,  the  height  greater  than  the 
breadth,  and  gracefully  irregular  in  outline.  When  well  grown,  in 
rich  soil,  the  dark  luxuriance  of  its  shining  foliage  contrasts  well 
with  such  trees  as  the  birches,  the  catalpa,  or  the  kolreuteria. 

The  Ever-flowering  Weeping  Cherry.  C.  semperflorens.— 
One  of  the  prettiest  of  small  weeping  trees.  Grafted  on  the  proper 
stock,  it  becomes  a square-headed  tree  ten  feet  high,  flowering  and 
fruiting  all  summer.  The  flowers  are  white,  and  like  those  of  the 
common  cherry. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


405 


The  Dwarf  Weeping  Cherry.  C.  pumila  pendula. — This  is 
one  of  the  most  exquisite  of  little  garden  pets.  Everything  about 
it  is  in  miniature.  The  leaves  and  blossoms,  both  of  extreme  deli- 
cacy, hang  in  matted  masses  differently  from 
the*spray  of  most  weeping  trees.  Fig.  127  is  a 
sketch  of  a young  specimen  in  the  grounds  of 
Ellwanger  & Barry  at  Rochester.  It  ought 
not  to  be  called  a tree  ; for  though  it  is  grafted 
on  a single  stem  of  another  sort,  and  there- 
fore maintains  a tree  form,  its  size  is  rather 
that  of  a green-house  tub-plant.  The  growth 
is  very  slow,  and  it  is  said  to  be  difficult  to 
propagate.  It  should  not  be  grafted  more  than  four  or  five  feet 
high.  Under  favorable  circumstances  it  may  become  a miniature 
tree  six  or  eight  feet  in  height,  and  equal  diameter. 

The  Laurel  Cherry-trees,  or  Portugal  Laurels,  Cerasus 
lusitanica  and  C.  laurocerasus , are  half-hardy  evergreens,  greatly 
esteemed  in  the  south  of  Europe  and  the  warmer  parts  of  England. 
They  have  been  found  too  tender  to  thrive  in  the  N.  Y.  Central  Park. 

The  Carolina  Bird  Cherry-tree,  C.  caroliniana , is  another 
evergreen  shrubby  tree,  indigenous  in  the  Gulf  States  and  in  the 
West  India  islands,  and  one  of  the  most  superb  ornamental  shrubs 
of  those  regions,  but  too  tender  to  thrive  in  the  middle  or  northern 
States. 


Fig.  127. 


THE  GINKGO  OR  SALISBURIA  TREE.  Salisburia 
adiantifolia. 

A native  of  Japan,  remarkable  for  uniting  in  its  leaves  the  pecu- 
liarities of  the  pine  family  with  those  of  deciduous  trees.  Its 
• leaves  are  like  a tuft  of  the  needle  leaves  of  the  pine,  flattened  out 
and  united  together  in  a fan-like  form.  They  are  small,  peculiarly 
clean,  sharp-cut,  and  of  a light  clear  green  color.  The  bark  is 
whitish  and  fibry,  like  the  surfaces  of  old  pine  shingles.  The 
branches  incline  upward  at  an  angle  of  45 0 with  the  trunk,  are 


406 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


straight,  not  very  numerous,  and  the  foliage  is  most  abundant  near 
their  extremities. 

The  beauty  of  the  tree  can  be  greatly  heightened  by  occasional 
cutting  back.  It  is  a tree  to  plant  near  the  house,  or  a walk, 
where  its  singular  and  pretty  leaves  can  be  seen  readily.  The 
seed  is  a nut,  which  is  boiled,  and  valued  for  eating.  A rich  sandy 
soil,  with  dry  subsoil,  suits  it  best.  There  are  specimens  in  this 
country  from  seventy  to  eighty  feet  high.  In  Japan  specimens 
have  been  seen  grown  to  the  height  of  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet, 
with  trunks  from  six  to  twelve  feet  in  diameter.  One  is  mentioned 
by  a traveller  the  trunk  of  which  measured  forty  feet  in  circum- 
ference ! 

The  Large-leaved  Salisburia.  *S.  adiantifolia  macrophylla. 
— This  is  a new  French  variety,  which  has  much  larger  leaves  than 
the  species,  and  divided  in  two,  three,  or  five  lobes,  and  these 
again  with  undulated  edges.  Probably  well  worth  the  price  its 
novelty  will  command  among  tree  enthusiasts. 

The  Variegated  Salisburia.  S.  a.  variegata. — “This  variety 
differs  from  the  ordinary  form  by  its  leaves  being  variegated  and 
striped  with  yellow.”  It  is  recommended  on  high  English  au- 
thority as  a desirable  variety. 


THE  SCOTCH  LARCH.  Larix  Europcea. 

A tree  which  has  been  almost  as  much  over-valued  for  orna- 
mental purposes  within  the  past  twenty  years,  as  the  Moms  multi- 
caulis  was  for  silk-growing  fifteen  years  before.  Downing’s  warm 
praise  doubtless  did  much  to  create  a demand  for  it ; and  the  great 
facility  with  which  it  is  grown  in  nurseries  made  it  profitable  for 
nurserymen  to  echo  its  praises.  If  Downing’s  careful  qualification 
of  its  praise  could  always  have  accompanied  his  encomiums  on  its 
merits,  and  been  intelligently  appreciated,  little  harm  would  have 
been  done.  He  says : “ Like  all  highly  expressive  and  characteris- 
tic trees,  much  more  care  is  necessary  in  introducing  the  larch  into 
artificial  scenery  judiciously,  than  round-headed  trees.  If  planted 
in  abundance  it  becomes  monotonous  from  the  similitude  of  its 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


407 


form  in  different  specimens ; it  should  therefore  be  introduced  spar- 
ingly, and  always  for  some  special  purpose.  This  purpose  may  be 
either  to  give  spirit  to  a group  of  other  trees,  to  strengthen  the 
already  picturesque  character  of  a scene,  or  to  give  life  and  variety 
to  one  naturally  tame  and  uninteresting.” 

Fortunately  we  have  many  other  trees — evergreens  too — which 
are  much  better  adapted  to  the  uses  suggested  by  Mr.  Downing 
than  the  larch.  The  Norway  spruce  is  equally  picturesque,  and  at 
the  same  time  a more  beautiful  tree.  It  carries  all  its  foliage 
through  the  winter  months,  sustaining  with  its  verdure  great  lami- 
nate masses  of  snow  to  contrast  with  the  green  of  its  drooping 
branches , while  such  meagre  foliage  as  the  larch  carries  through 
the  summer  months  is  lost  even  before  it  is  touched  by  autumn 
frosts  and  wind,  and  in  winter  it  stands  among  its  family  of  pines 
the  one  naked  branched  tree  which  has  been  robbed  of  all  its 
beauty. 

When  the  larch  puts  forth  its  leaves  in  the  spring,  the  exquisite 
tender  green  of  the  foliage  is  very  charming,  at  a time  when  the 
evergreens  have  scarcely  burst  their  buds,  and  only  the  aspen,  the 
white  birch,  the  buckeyes  and  willows,  have  become  beautiful  with 
verdure ; but  in  another  month  the  Norway  spruce  surpasses  it  in 
every  element  of  beauty  and  picturesqueness. 

The  European  Weeping  Larch,.  L.  e.  pendula , is  a very 
curious  and  valuable  picturesque  small  tree.  It  requires  to  be 
grafted  at  from  six  to  twelve  feet  from  the  ground,  and  when  well 
established  it  is  as  odd  and  graceful  in  its  way  as  anything  we  have 
seen.  Sargent  mentions  that  it  is  both  difficult  to  propagate  and 
to  transplant.  It  is  irregularly  spreading  or  flat-headed,  rather  than 
conical  like  its  prototype,  and  addicted  to  eccentricities  of  form. 

The  Sikkim  Larch,  Z.  Griffithiana , is,  we  believe,  a native  of 
China,  and  is  described  by  Dr.  Hooker  as  “ an  inelegant,  sprawling 
branched  tree,  with  the  branches  standing  out  awkwardly,  and  often 
drooping  suddenly.”  All  of  which  goes  to  show  that  it  is  a tree  of 
very  odd  habit  If  it  is  also  well  clothed  with  leaves,  its  deformi- 
ties of  branching  may  be  converted  into  picturesque  beauty.  In 


408 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


autumn  its  foliage  is  said  to  change  to  a bright  red  color.  These 
qualities  certainly  excite  curiosity  to  know  more  of  this  species.  • 

The  American  Larch  Tamarac  or  Hacmatac,  Z.  americana , 
grows  in  swamps  in  nearly  all  the  northern  States,  where  it  is  a tall, 
meagre-foliaged,  conical  tree.  When  planted  in  gardens  it  looks 
very  much  like  the  Scotch  larch,  but  requires  a damper  and  cooler 
soil. 


THE  CATALPA.  Catalpa  syriiigafolia. 

This  is  a native  of  our  southern  States ; a tree  of  extremely 
rapid  growth  when  young,  and  noticeable  for  the  great  size  of  its 
heart-shaped  leaves,  and  their  soft  yellowish-green  color.  It  forms 
a spreading,  flat-headed  tree,  of  medium  size.  Fig.  128  is  a por- 
trait of  a noble  specimen  growing  in  the  pleasure-ground  of 
Alfred  Cope,  Esq.,  on  Fisher’s  Lane,  Germantown,  Pa.  It  is  fifty 
feet  high,  and  seventy  feet  across  the  spread  of  its  branches.  The 
catalpa  usually  grows  more  compactly  than  this  specimen.  Its  blos- 
soms appear  in  June  and  July,  and  are  borne  in  large  loose  pani- 
cles, projecting  from  the  golden  green  of  the  young  leaves,  and  by 
their  size,  abundance,  and  rich  color,  make  a superb  display. 
They  are  as  beautiful  when  seen  singly  as  they  are  showy  in  the 
mass,  and  also  have  an  agreeable  perfume.  Color  white,  flecked 
inside  with  orange  and  purple. 

The  young  wood,  which  is  of  a yellowish  color,  is  strong, 
smooth,  cane-like,  and  stubby ; and  the  ramification  of  the  branches 
is  irregular,  open,  and  spreading.  Though  planted  largely  in  the 
northern  States,  and  considered  hardy,  its  beauty  would  be  more 
uniform,  and  we  should  oftener  see  fine  specimens,  if,  when  first 
planted,  it  were  regarded  as  half-hardy,  and  cared  for  accordingly. 
In  the  first  place,  it  should  never  be  planted  in  rich  soil,  because 
the  growth  which  results  is  so  rank  that  it  is  liable  to  be  killed 
back  the  following  winter.  The  next  season  it  will  send  up  still 
ranker  suckers  from  the  stump,  which,  in  their  effort  to  make  up 
for  lost  time,  are  likely  to  grow  late  and  be  nipped  again  by  the 
succeeding  winter.  The  young  trunk  of  the  tree,  by  this  repeated 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


409 


\ Fig.  128. 


A CATALPA  TREK  ON  THE  GROUNDS  OF  ALFRED  COPE,  ESQ  , GERMANTOWN,  PA. 


killing  back,  becomes  crooked,  the  wood  less  healthy,  and  the  roots 
are  weakened  for  the  want  of  a top  proportioned  to  their  develop- 
ment. A dry  deeply-drained  soil  is  necessary  to  start  the  tree 
healthily ; and  we  advise  always  mulching  under  young  trees  in  the 
fall,  and  bandaging  the  trunks  with  straw,  until  the  rank  growth 
of  their  early  years  is  over.  When  once  the  tree  is  well  estab- 
lished it  does  not  make  the  rampant  growth  that  endangers  its 
health  and  gives  it  so  tropical  an  air  in  its  nursery  state ; and  may 
then  be  considered  hardy  and  the  soil  enriched  to  promote  its 
growth.  When  healthily  grown,  and  exposed  to  the  sun  on  all 
sides,  its  large  leaves,  tropical  growth,  and  the  warm  tone  of  its 
foliage,  make  it  one  of  the  finest  of  middle-sized  lawn  trees,  and 
one  that  contrasts  well  with  trees  of  smaller  leaves  and  darker  color. 


410 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


Some  dwarf  varieties  of  the  catalpa  have  been  found  in  Asia, 
which  bid  fair  to  be  charming  acquisitions  to  our  stock  of  small 
trees  or  shrubs.  The  following  are  now  growing  in  this  country : 


Fig.  129. 


The  Indian  Catalpa.  C.  himalayensis  ( C.  umbraculifera  ? ). — . 
Fig.  129  represents  a specimen  of  this  species  also  growing  in  the 
grounds  of  Mr.  Alfred  Cope,  Germantown,  Pa.  It  is  seven  or 
eight  feet  high,  and  about  ten  feet  broad.  The  crown  is  like  a 
roof  of  leaves,  laid  with  the  precision  of  pointed  slate , and  the 
play  of  light  on  its  golden-green  head  is  beautiful.  The  leaves  are 
about  the  size  of  those  of  the  common  catalpa.  Though  formal  in 
its  outline,  it  is  at  the  same  time  of  so  unusual  a form  and  style, 
that  its  novelty,  or  oddity,  allies  it  to  trees  of  picturesque  expres- 
sion- Judging  by  this  specimen,  we  would  suppose  that  this  vari- 
ety will  never  be  much  more  than  a great  shrub,  perhaps  from  ten 
to  twenty  feet  high.  It  seems  to  be  hardy  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Philadelphia,  and,  with  thorough  protection,  will  probably  succeed 
as  far  north  as  the  southern  shores  of  the  great  lakes.  It  is  well 
adapted,  wherever  it  proves  hardy,  to  form  natural  arbors  or  gate- 
way arches. 

The  Catalpa  Kempferi  is  similar  to  the  above,  except  that  it 
has  smaller  leaves  and  growth  in  all  respects,  and  the  foliage  a 
little  darker.  The  flowers  resemble  those  of  our  native  catalpa. 
Mr.  Meehan  considers  it  one  of  the  best  of  trees  for  the  same  pur- 
poses suggested  in  the  closing  paragraph  of  the  preceding  descrip- 
tion. Quite  hardy  near  Philadelphia. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


411 


The  Catalpa  Bangei  is  still  more  dwarfish,  being  a shrub 
three  to  five  feet  high.  The  flowers  are  in  clusters  a foot  Ion" 
What  has  been  said  about  protection  for  our  native  catalpa  at  the 
north,  applies  with  still  more  force  to  these  imported  sorts.  We 
believe  that  in  a deep  dry  warm  soil  they  will  prove  hardy  in  the 
northern  States,  if  protected  until  their  roots  have  had  time  to  become 
established  below  the  ordinary  freezing  of  the  earth.  Yet  we  would 
not  omit  late  autumn  mulching  and  some  covering  for  the  tops 
until  they  are  so  large  that  it  cannot  conveniently  be  done. 


Frc.  130. 


THE  SASSAFRAS.  Laurus  sassafras. 

This  is  the  only  quite  hardy  species  of  the  beautiful  laurel 
family,  so  highly  prized  for  their  abundant  glossy  foliage  in  the 
southern  States,  (there  known  as  bay  trees) ; and  interesting  as 
the  only  representative  in  the  northern  States  of  the  noble  laurel 
or  bay,  whose  leaves  have  always  been  symbols  of  victory,  and 
endless  themes  for  poetical  allusions.  It  is  also  allied  by  family 
ties  to  those  two  most  aromatic  trees,  the  camphor  tree  of  Japan, 
and  the  cinnamon  tree  of  Ceylon,  both  of  which  are  species  of  lau- 
rel. Though  the  sassafras  grows  wild  all  over  the  country  wherever 


412 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


the  soil  is  rich  and  warm,  in  our  woods,  and  by  road-sides,  it  is 
certainly  the  most  neglected,  considering  the  rare  beauty  of  its 
foliage,  of  all  our  native  trees.  Its  qualities  are  peculiarly  those 
which  adapt  it  to  the  embellishment  of  small  pleasure-grounds. 
The  most  aromatic  tree  of  the  woods,  it  is  also  one  of  the  most 
suggestive,  by  its  umbelliferous  form  and  sunny  expression,  of  the 
warmth  of  those  southern  climates  in  which  the  other  members  of 
the  laurel  family  flourish.  Though  it  never  becomes  more  than  a 
middle-sized  tree,  the  deep  furrows  of  its  warm  brown  bark,  the 
angular  ruggedness  of  its  branches,  and  the  flattened  form  and 
horizontal  shadows  of  its  head,  give  it  an  air  of  age  and  dignity 
unusual  in  trees  of  its  size ; while  the  pure  color,  abundance, 
and  fine-cut  outline  of  its  leaves,  add  a refined  expression  during 
its  period  of  foliage.  The  young  wood  is  smooth,  and  of  a beau- 
tiful green  color.  The  leaves  come  late,  and  drop  with  the  first 
frosts,  but  their  autumn  colors  are  among  the  purest,  and  occa- 
sionally the  most  brilliant : oftenest  a bright  lemon  yellow,  but  not 

seldom  spangled  with  red,  and  some- 
times an  entire  mass  of  soft  crimson. 
The  leaves  vary  in  form  on  the  same 
tree,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  engraving, 
Fig.  13 1,  some  being  entire  and  pointed- 
elliptical  in  form,  and  others  three  and 
two-lobed.  They  are  from  four  to  six 
inches  long,  of  smooth  outline,  soft  tex- 
ture, and  warm  green  color.  The  fo- 
liage breaks  into  softly-rounded  hori- 
zontal layers,  drooping  on  the  exterior 
to  catch  and  reflect  the  sun,  so  that 
broader  and  warmer  masses  of  light  than 
most  trees  of  similar  size.  Grown  thriftily,  in  open  grounds, 
the  sassafras  is  one  of  the  most,  if  not  the  most,  elegant  small 
tree  of  the  north.  Fig.  130  gives  a tolerable  idea  of  the  sassafras 
as  a mature  tree,  but  is  less  umbrella-formed  than  the  usual  type. 
Figs.  57  and  58,  page  260,  show  some  characteristic  forms  of  the 
sassafras,  grown  in  woods,  and  in  open  ground.  But  no  engraving 
will  do  justice  to  the  pleasing  lights  and  soft  outline  of  the  tree, 


Fig.  131. 


they  present  to  the  eye 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


413 


which  carries  a sweet  smile  in  the  sun  that  must  be  observed  to  be 

/ 

appreciated.  It  is  especially  radiant  when  the  setting  sun  gilds 
its  top.  All  trees  are  in  fact  most  beautiful  in  such  a light,  but 
the  crown  of  the  sassafras  is  pre-eminently  so. 

The  tree  requires  a deep,  warm,  rich  soil,  and  will  do  itself  no 
credit  in  any  other.  Woodsmen  know  that  soil  to  be  excellent  where 
groves  of  sassafras  abound.  In  the  woods  it  sometimes  reaches  an 
altitude  of  fifty  feet,  but  in  open  ground  forty  feet  height  and 
breadth,  and  two  feet  diameter  of  trunk,  is  about  its  greatest  size. 
The  annual  growth  after  it  reaches  a height  of  ten  feet  is  about 
one  foot  a year.  Its  earlier  growth  is  rapid.  Cattle  and  hogs  are 
exceedingly  fond  of  rubbing  against  the  fragrant  bark,  and  young 
trees  must  be  protected  from  possible  danger  from  this  cause 
more  carefully,  and  for  a longer  time  than  most  trees. 

The  Benzoin  Laurel  or  Benjamin  Tree.  Laurus  benzoin. 
— A deciduous  shrub  or  tree,  native  of  Virginia.  Leaves  from  four 
to  six  inches  long,  like  the  unlobed  leaves  of  the  sassafras.  It 
grows  in  an  exposed  location  on  the  brow  of  a hill  in  the  New 
York  Central  Park,  and  is  there  ten  feet  high,  with  abundant  glossy 
foliage.  It  will  become  a tree  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high. 
One  of  the  finest  large  shrubs  in  the  Park. 

Loudon  says  of  it : “ In  British  gardens  it  forms  rather  a 
tender  peat-earth  shrub,  handsome  from  its  large  leaves,  but  seldom 
thriving,  except  where  the  soil  is  kept  moist,  and  the  situation 
sheltered.”  It  may  not  be  safe  to  recommend  it  for  trial  in  the 
northern  States  to  any  but  very  careful  cultivators,  notwithstanding 
its  success  in  the  Central  Park. 


THE  PAULOWNIA.  Paulownia  imperialis. 

A Japanese  tree  introduced  into  France  in  1837,  and  into  this 
country  about  ten  years  later.  The  enormous  size  of  its  leaves, 
which  sometimes  measure  nearly  two  feet  in  length  and  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter,  and  its  rank  growth,  occasionally  making  canes 
from  eight  to  twelve  feet  long  in  a single  season,  were  qualities  so 


414 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


Fig.  132. 


striking  that  the  tree  became  famous  and  in  great  demand  imme- 
diately after  its  introduction.  A large  proportion,  however,  of  those 
which  have  been  planted  north  of  New  York  during  the  last  twenty 
years  are  either  dead,  or  annually  shortened  back  by  our  severe 
winters,  presenting  the  appearance  of  decrepit  or  damaged  trees.  A 
few  good  specimens  have  survived,  proving  the  possibility  of  accli- 
mating the  tree  in  the  northern  States.  Fine  specimens  may  be  seen 
in  the  New  York  Central  Park,  where,  with  the  excellent  judgment 
characteristic  of  the  management  of  that  ground,  these  trees  seem 
to  have  had  no  check  in  their  healthy  growth,  and  they  stand  in  the 
most  open  and  exposed  localities.  The  early  growth  of  the  tree  is 
very  much  like  that  of  the  catalpa  and  ailantus,  and  if  planted  in 
rich  soils  the  leaves  and  canes  are  immense.  All  such  growth 
should  be  carefully  guarded  against  by  planting  the  tree  in  a poor, 
well-drained  soil.  An  excessively  rank  development  during  the 
first  years  after  planting  will  generally  prove  the  death-warrant  of 
the  tree  in  all  the  northern  States,  while  if  a moderate  growth  can 
be  obtained,  and  the  top  and  roots  be  protected  for  a number  of 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


415 


years  in  winter,  until,  the  roots  permeate  largely  below  the  reach  of 
frost,  there  is  little  doubt  that  paulownias  of  noble  size  may  be 
grown  as  far  north  as  around  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie.  Yet  we 
would  not  omit  mulching  at  any  age  of  the  tree. 

The  form  of  the  paulownia  is  squarish-oblate.  Fig.  132  repre- 
sents a specimen  growing  in  Mount  Moriah  Cemetery,  near  Philadel- 
phia, and  is  a good  illustration  of  the  usual  character  of  the  tree.  The 
sketch  was  made  in  September,  at  which  time  the  upright  spikes 
of  seed-vessels  on  the  tree  were  conspicuous  and  ornamental.  The 
trunk  of  this  specimen  is  sixteen  inches  in  diameter,  its  height 
thirty  feet,  and  the  branches  cover  a space  fifty  feet  in  diameter. 
There  is  a much  larger  but  less  perfect  specimen  in  the  home- 
grounds  of  S.  B.  Parsons,  Esq.,  at  Flushing,  L.  I. ; and  perhaps 
still  finer  ones  elsewhere  which  we  have  not  seen.  The  branches 
of  the  paulownia  are  few  in  number,  long  and  strong,  diverge  right- 
angularly,  are  disposed  to  spread  laterally,  and  invariably  turn 
upwards  at  their  extremities.  The  bark  is  rather  smooth  on  young 
trees,  dark  colored,  and  furrows  with  age.  The  leaves  are  pointed 
heart-shaped,  a very  dark  green  color,  without  gloss,  and,  on  old 
trees,  from  ten  to  fifteen  inches  in  length.  They  appear  late  in  the 
spring,  but  retain  themselves  well  upon  the  tree  until  hard  frosts. 
The  blossoms  are  formed  in  large  upright  panicles  on  the  extremities 
of  the  shoots,  are  silghtly  fragrant,  and  appear  early  in  May.  They 
are  trumpet-shaped,  and  of  a purplish  color. 


THE  MULBERRY.  Moms. 

The  mulberry  is  one  of  those  species  of  trees  with  rapid  succu- 
lent growth,  and  large  leaves,  which  are  apt  to  become  spasmodi- 
cally popular,  from  the  readiness  with  which  these  qualities  are 
appreciated  ; and  then  to  “ fall  from  grace  ” with  a reaction  against 
them  disproportioned  to  their  faults.  The  speculative  rage  for  the 
Moms  multicaulis,  a variety  of  the  white  mulberry,  which  became 
one  of  the  wildest  manias  on  record  nearly  forty  years  ago,  is  now 
almost  forgotten ; and  forms  one  of  the  curious  facts  in  the  history 
of  speculations  associated  with  the  great  South  Sea  scheme,  the  tulip 


416 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


mania,  and  numerous  later  instances  to  show  the  lengths  to  which 
enthusiasm  may  carry  a whole  community  when  united  in  pursuit 
of  a supposed  quick  means  of  realizing  large  profits.  The  silk  of 
all  the  world  is  made  from  the  leaves  of  the  mulberry.  The  Morus 
multicaulis , it  was  claimed,  was  the  best  variety  to  feed  to  silk- 
worms. It  was  zealously  inculcated  that  silk- worms,  and  silk, 
could  be  produced  with  great  profit  in  this  country.  As  food  for 
the  worm  must  be  grown  before  the  silk  could  be  made,  it  followed 
that  those  who  would  profit  by  the  production  of  silk  at  home  must 
hasten  to  provide  themselves  with  plants  of  the  Morus  multicaulis  / 
The  result  was  one  of  the  most  amusing  and  profitless  speculations 
of  this  century.  It  is  hoped,  however,  now  that  the  national  enter- 
prise has  stretched  an  iron  band  across  the  continent,  and  put  us 
into  close  connection  with  Japan  and  China,  that  we  will  profit  by 
the  more  patient  skill,  and  the  long  experience  of  their  people,  and 
induce  them  to  develop  on  our  soil  this  profitable  branch  of  in- 
dustry, unrepelled  by  social  or  race  prejudices,  or  the  spirit  of  caste 
which  is  apt  to  be  arrayed  against  them. 

One  characteristic  of  the  mulberry  tree  is  a profusion  of  foliage, 
which,  being  borne  on  broad  low-branching  trees,  makes  a deep 
shade.  It  bears  a sweet  berry-like  fruit  from  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  to  an  inch  and  a half  in  length,  and  of  the  diameter  of  the 
common  long  blackberry,  which  it  resembles  in  appearance.  The 
fruit  of  some  varieties  is  delicious.  When  ripe  it  is  apt  to  strew 
the  ground  below  the  tree,  and  form  a great  attraction  for  bees  and 
flies.  This  fact,  together  with  another,  that  the  leaves  are  favorite 
food  for  other  worms  besides  the  exotic  silkworm,  has  prevented 
the  best  species  of  mulberry  from  attaining  that  popularity  for  or- 
namental planting,  which  their  quick  growth,  domestic  character, 
deep  verdure,  and  dense  shade  would  naturally  give  them.  They 
are  truly  fruit-trees,  and  very  beautiful  ones.  It  is  surprising  how 
rarely  their  fruit  is  offered  in  our  markets,  some  of  the  sorts  being 
superior  in  flavor  to  the  blackberry,  and  ripening  with  it,  and 
during  a period  of  a month  or  more  after  blackberries  are  gone. 
The  tree  is  long-lived,  and  we  have  no  doubt  will  yet  make  pro- 
fitable orchards  in  some  parts  of  the  country.  Poultry  are  par- 
ticularly fond  of  the  berries,  and  in  the  back  court-yards  of  old 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


417 


French  chateaux  the  black  mulberry  was  always  planted  for  their 
benefit.  The  leaves  are  particularly  agreeable  to  cattle,  as  well  as 
to  silkworms. 

The  species  of  mulberry  are  not  numerous,  but  the  varieties 
are  almost  innumerable,  though  their  differences  am  of  little  conse- 
quence in  decorative  planting. 

The  American  Red  Mul- 
berry Tree,  Morus  rubra , is 
sometimes  called  the  Pennsyl- 
vania mulberry.  This  is  quite 
the  largest  and  finest  ornamen- 
tal tree  of  the  genus.  In  the 
forest  it  sometimes  grows  to 
seventy  feet  in  height,  but  in 
open  ground  assumes  a low- 
spreading  form  of  umbellifer- 
ous character,  as  indicated  by 
Fig.  133,  which  is  a portrait  of  a good  specimen  at  twenty-five  or 
thirty  years  of  age.  The  leaves  are  quite  large, 
nearly  equal  to  those  of  the  catalpa,  generally 
heart-shaped,  but  often  with  two  or  three  lobes, 
as  shown  by  Fig.  134,  of  a dark-green  color, 
thick  texture,  and  rough  surface.  The  fruit  is 
deep  red,  oblong,  and  of  good  flavor.  The  trunk  of  the  tree  has 
deeply-furrowed  bark,  with  a tinge  of  green  in  its  color,  and  the 
main  branches  have  a rugged  ramification  like  those  of  the  oak. 
The  leaves  make  their  appearance  late  in  the  spring,  but,  like  those 
of  the  horse-chestnut,  develop  with  great  luxuriance  as  soon  as 
they  burst  the  bud,  and  then  remain  on  the  tree  till  killed  by  hard 
frosts.  They  are  not  considered  of  any  value  for  the  silkworm. 

As  an  ornamental  tree  this  mulberry  is  one  of  the  most  do^ 
mestic  in  expression,  luxuriant  in  foliage,  and  noble  in  the  distri- 
bution of  its  lights  and  shadows  among  our  medium-sized  trees. 
That  it  is  a fruit-bearing  tree  is  something  against  its  tidiness,  but 
its  fruit  will  assuredly  pay  for  the  extra  care  required  to  keep  the 
ground  or  lawn  under  it  in  cleanly  condition.  It  does  best  in  a 
27 


Fig.  134. 


Fig.  133. 


418 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


strong  soil,  and  somewhat  sheltered  location,  though  it  may  be 
considered  hardy  in  most  parts  of  the  northern  States.  Though 
not  truly  within  the  scope  of  this  work,  we  feel  it  a duty  to  call 
attention  to  a fact  which  is  not  well  known  in  many  parts  of  the 
country,  viz : that  the  wood  of  this  species  is  almost  as  durable  as 
that  of  the  black  or  yellow  locust.  Its  growth  is  rapid. 

The  White  Mulberry.  Morus  alba . — The  varieties  of  this 
species  are  very  numerous,  and  their  leaves  form  the  staple  food 
for  the  silkworm,  the  Morns  multicaulis  being  one  of  them.  Their 
fruit  is  red  and  black,  as  well  as  white,  although  the  species  is 
characterized  as  white-fruited.  The  leaves  resemble  those  of  the 
red  mulberry  in  form  (see  Fig.  134),  but  are  smaller,  more  pointed, 
and  less  often  lobed,  though  very  variable  in  this  respect,  lighter- 
colored,  and  more  glossy.  The  tree  is  of  a more  shrubby  char- 
acter, of  slenderer  though  rapid  growth,  and  should  be  allowed  to 
branch  low ; otherwise  its  tendency  to  suckers  will  be  increased. 
Loudon  mentions  that  it  is  not  able  to  endure  great  extremes  of 
heat  or  cold.  There  are  specimens  of  the  white  mulberry  in  the 
New  York  Central  Park,  with  luxuriant  and  glossy  leaves,  among 
the  most  beautiful  to  be  seen  there. 

The  Morus  multicaulis  has  larger  and  thinner  leaves  than  the 
parent  species,  and  black  fruit.  It  is  also  more  tender,  and  forms 
rather  a luxuriant  bush  than  a tree. 

The  Dandelo  Mulberry,  M.  morettiana , is  another  variety, 
the  leaves  of  which  are  held  in  great  esteem  in  France  as  food  for 
silkworms,  and  the  silk  made  from  it  is  said  to  exceed  any  other 
in  fineness  and  glossiness.  The  leaf  itself  is  very  beautiful,  being 
thin,  large,  perfectly  flat,  deep  green,  and  glossy  on  both  surfaces. 
Less  hardy  than  the  preceding. 

There  are  scores  of  other  varieties,  but  none  that  are  at  the 
same  time  hardy  and  peculiar  enough  to  be  interesting.  All  the 
white  mulberry  trees  do  best  in  a dry,  sandy,  or  gravelly  soil,  and 
a protected  situation,  and  grow  occasionally  to  considerable  size ; 
from  thirty  to  forty-five  feet  in  height  and  about  equal  breadth. 

Downing’s  Ever-bearing  Mulberry  should,  perhaps,  be 
classed  as  a variety  of  the  M.  alba.  It  is  a fine  rapid-growing  tree, 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


419 


and  bears  delicious' fruit  from  the  middle  of  July  till  autumn.  It  is 
not  perfectly  hardy  in  a colder  climate  than  that  of  New  York  City, 
though  planted  with  more  or  less  success  all  over  the  northern 
States.  It  becomes  a beautiful  tree  where  not  killed  back  in  winter. 

The  Black  Mulberry.  Morus  nigra. — This  is  supposed  to 
be  a native  of  Asia,  but  has  been  so  long  known  in  Europe  as  to 
be  thought  by  some  indigenous  there.  It  is  a low  rugged-branched 
tree,  with  yellowish-brown  bark,  broad  heart  shaped  leaves,  une- 
qually serrated,  and  very  rough.  The  fruit  is  large,  dark  purple,  and 
excellent.  The  tree  is  a slow  grower,  and  forms  a broad  low  head. 
Pliny  makes  the  following  curious  allusion  to  this  tree : “ Of  all  the 
cultivated  trees,  the  mulberry  is  the  last  that  buds,  which  it  never 
does  till  the  cold  weather  is  past;  and  it  is  therefore  called  the 
wisest  of  trees.  But,  when  it  begins  to  put  forth  buds,  it  despatches 
the  business  in  one  night,  and  that  with  so  much  force  that  their 
breaking  forth  may  be  evidently  heard.”  Loudon  says  that  in 
England  the  fruit  is  generally  eaten  at  the  dessert ; and  it  is  con- 
sidered of  a cooling  aperient  nature  ; that  it  forms  an  agreeable 
sweetmeat,  and  that,  mixed  with  fresh  cider,  it  makes  a strong  and 
agreeable  wine.  Where  fine  fruit  is  an  object,  it  derives  the  same 
benefit  from  culture  and  manuring  as  the  apple.  It  is  a tree  of 
great  durability,  but  the  slowest  grower  of  the  mulberries.  In 
time,  however,  it  attains  a great  breadth  ; the  finest  specimens  in 
England  being  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  with  tops  varying  from 
forty  to  seventy  feet  in  breadth. 

The  Paper  Mulberry.  Broussonetia. — A rapid-growing  small 
tree  from  China  and  Japan,  which  was  formerly  much  planted  in 
the  middle  States  for  avenues  ; but  its  popularity  seems  to  have 
waned  with  its  novelty.  It  is  certainly  an  interesting  small  tree. 
Few  trees  develop  their  beauties  more  quickly,  yet  it 
is  not  quite  hardy,  and  is  addicted  to  throwing  up 
suckers.  Though  not  a true  mulberry,  it  is  always 
associated  with  them  from  its  great  resemblance  to 
the  Morus  family.  The  leaves  assume  a great  va- 
riety of  forms,  being  heart-shaped,  two-lobed,  and 


Fig.  135. 


420 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


three-lobed,  all  on  the  same  stem,  as  shown  by  Fig.  135.  They 
are  smaller  than  those  of  the  true  mulberry,  of  a bluish-green  color, 
and  somewhat  downy  or  hoary  on  the  surface.  The  tree  quickly 
forms  a neat  umbrella-shaped  top,  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  high, 
and  grows  in  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia  to  the  height  of 
forty  to  fifty  feet.  From  the  rapidity  of  its  growth  it  is  adapted  to 
make  verdant  masses  for  screens,  and  has  been  used  with  good 
effect  for  this  purpose  in  the  New  York  Central  Park,  where  it 
seems  to  be  hardy. 


Fig.  136. 


AN  OSAGE  ORANGE  IN  THE  OLD  BARTBAU  GARDEN. 


THE  OSAGE  ORANGE.  Maclura. 

This  tree,  much  used  of  late  years  for  farm  and  garden  hedges, 
when  grown  singly,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  small  trees. 
Its  glossy  orange-like  foliage  is  so  brilliant,  and  its  erratic  luxuri- 
ance of  growth  so  extraordinary,  that  it  is  difficult  to  realize  that 
plants  of  the  same  tree  can  be  confined  within  the  formal  limits  of 
a narrow  hedge. 

The  Osage  orange  is  a native  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  it 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


421 


is  fair  to  infer  that  the  latitude  of  those  States  furnish  a climate  the 
most  congenial  to  it.  It  there  becomes  a tree  from  thirty  to  sixty 
feet  in  height  and  of  equal  breadth.  Hedges  formed  with  it  have 
proved  hardy  as  far  north  as  Albany — perhaps  further  north.  It 
may  prove  less  hardy  as  a tree  than  in  clipped  hedges,  but  on  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  near  Albany,  it  is  little  injured  by  the  winters, 
and  does  equally  well  on  the  south  shores  of  the  great  lakes. 

The  growth  of  an  Osage  orange  tree,  in  a deep  rich  soil,  is 
quite  peculiar.  It  first  sends  out  a multitude  of  shoots  vertically, 
horizontally,  and  at  all  angles  and  curves  between.  Its  inherent 
vitality  is  so  great  that  it  seems  scarcely  to  have  room  enough  upon 
each  preceding  year’s  growth  to  push  out  the  new  growth  that 
struggles  to  expand  its  foliage.  As  the  plant  attains  the  dignity  of 
a tree-form,  or  at  least  of  a distinct  trunk,  its  different  parts  seem 
to  have  various  impulses ; one  branch  having  shoots  nearly  all  tend- 
ing upwards,  another  with  shoots  crossing  each  other,  with  a variety 
of  curves  reminding  one  of  the  intersections  of  fireworks  projectiles, 
and  another  with  its  rank  growths  all  tending  downward  as  humbly 
as  those  of  the  Scamston  elm. 

Fig.  136  is  a portrait  of  a magnificent  specimen  crowded  in 
an  obscure  corner  of  the  old  Bartram  garden  on  the  Schuylkill 
River,  south  of  Philadelphia.  It  is  about  thirty  feet  high,  and  from 
fifty  to  sixty  feet  across  the  spread  of  its  branches,  with  a trunk 
twenty  inches  in  diameter  one  foot  from  the  ground.  H.  W.  Sar- 
gent, Esq.,  mentions  a tree  growing  in  the  grounds  of  Dr.  Edmond- 
ston,  near  Baltimore,  which,  when  twenty-four  years  old,  measured 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  in  circumference — “ the  limbs  lying 
about  with  a profusion  of  growth  positively  wonderful,  and  covered 
with  fruit.” 

The  leaves  are  single,  alternate,  in  form  something  like  those 
of  the  lilac,  but  considerably  more  pointed  and  more  glossy. 
They  are  tardy  in  the  spring,  but  remain  late  01*  the  trees  in  au- 
tumn. The  flowers  are  inconspicuous.  The  fruit  is  about  the  size 
and  color  of  a large  ripe  orange,  perhaps  less  bright,  very  showy  on 
the  tree,  but  of  no  use  for  eating.  Ripe  in  October. 

As  the  male  and  female  blossoms  are  borne  on  different  trees, 
no  fruit  will  be  produced  except  on  the  trees  with  pistillate  bios- 


422 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


soms  in  the  neighborhood  of  staminate  trees.  But  the  beauty  of 
the  tree  itself  is  sufficient,  though  it  have  neither  flowers  nor  fruit. 
The  short  strong  thorns  which  make  a part  of  its  value  as  a hedge 
plant,  are  not  liable  to  drop  off  like  those  of  the  honey  locust, 
until  they  are  blunted  by  age,  and  then,  from  their  small  size,  drop 
into  the  lawn  where  they  are  harmless. 

It  is  recommended,  when  the  tree  is  young,  to  cut  back  its 
leading  shoots  one-third  or  one-half  for  several  years,  to  prevent 
the  head  from  sprawling  to  one  side  or  the  other  before  the  roots 
and  trunk  have  sufficient  strength  to  maintain  a vertical  position. 

In  a deep,  good  soil,  the  Osage  orange  will  become  a spreading 
tree  about  twenty-five  feet  high,  and  thirty  feet  broad,  in  ten  years 
after  planting. 

Nurserymen  dislike  to  grow  the  Osage  orange  except  for  hedge 
plants,  because,  after  the  plants  have  made  one  year’s  growth,  their 
vigor  is  so  rampant  that  they  become  unmanageable  in  nursery 
rows.  Purchasers  must  therefore  buy  hedge-plants  to  set  out  for 
trees  ; and  their  growth  will  be  all  the  better  for  the  necessity  of 
choosing  small  plants. 

The  Japan  Osage  Orange.  Madura  tricuspidata. — A new 
orange  of  the  Madura  family  has  recently  been  introduced  from 
France,  which  is  desctibed  as  a shrubby  bush,  very  branchy  and 
thorny,  with  shining,  leathery,  three-lobed  leaves. 


THE  KOLREUTERIA.  Kolreuteria  paniculata. 

This  is  a hardy  tree,  native  of  the  north  of  China,  introduced 
into  England  in  1763,  long  cultivated  in  the  United  States,  and 
yet  but  little  known.  It  forms  a low,  umbelliferous  head.  The 
leaves  are  pinnate,  composed  of  from  five  to  eleven  leaflets  of  small 
size  and  oak-like  shape.  The  foliage  grows  mostly  on  the  outer 
ends  of  the  branches,  so  that  the  tree  when  full  grown  is  quite  bare 
of  leaves  on  the  inside,  but  a thick  mass  of  feathery  and  very  warm- 
toned  foliage  on  the  crown.  The  flowers  are  yellow,  very  showy 
being  borne  in  long  terminal  panicles  in  July.  The  leaves  turn  to 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


423 


a deep  yellow  before  they  fall.  The  seed  is  contained  in  greenish 
white  capsules,  and'  quite  showy  by  its  abundance.  At  Germantown, 
near  Philadelphia,  are  specimens  twenty-five  feet  high  and  forty 
feet  diameter  of  head,  which  have  been  planted  thirty  years. 

We  know  of  no  tree  which,  without  being  variegated,  has  such 
decidedly  yellowish-green  foliage ; and  this  quality,  together  with 
the  airy  delicacy  of  its  leafy  outline,  its  biilliant  flowers,  and  autumn 
color,  combine  to  make  it  one  of  the  most  desirable  trees  for  even  a 
small  collection ; and  especially  beautiful  where  its  low  golden  top 
can  be  seen  projecting  from  a mass  of  dark-foliaged  trees.  It  be- 
comes quite  hardy,  though  the  tops  of  its  branches  may  be  killed 
back  in  winter  in  our  northern  States  when  first  planted.  With 
protection  a few  years  after  planting  it  will  establish  itself  beyond 
the  need  of  more.  When  young  its  growth  does  not  indicate  the 
form  it  finally  assumes,  and  is  not  so  pleasing  as  at  maturity. 


THE  NETTLE  TREE.  Celtis. 

“Handsome,  much  branched,  deciduous  trees,  natives  of  Europe 
and  North  America,  varying  in  size  and  foliage,  but  all  bearing 
fruit  which  is  edible,  and  though  small,  is  remarkably  sweet,  and 
said  to  be  very  wholesome.  Some  of  the  species  are  very  orna- 
mental, particularly  C.  crassifolia,  the  branches  of  which  assume  the 
character  of  a fan  ; and  C.  occidentalis , the  branches  of  which  droop 
like  a parasol.  The  leaves  of  almost  all  the  species  drop  off  almost 
simultaneously,  and  thus  occasion  very  little  trouble  to  the  gardener 
in  sweeping  them  up.”  They  are  also  remarkably  free  from  the 
attacks  of  insects. 

The  Western  Nettle  Tree,  C.  occidentalis , is  known  in  some 
sections  as  the  sugar-berry,  and  is  indigenous  from  Canada  to  North 
Carolina..  The  branches  are  numerous  and  slender,  radiating  at 
no  great  distance  from  the  ground  in  a horizontal  direction,  and 
incline  downwards  at  their  extremities.  Leaves  about  the  size  and 
form  of  those  of  the  apple  tree,  but  more  pointed  and  lighter 
colored;  being  a bright  shining  green.  They  hang  late  on  the 


424 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


tree,  turning  to  a bright  yellow,  and  then  drop  simultaneously. 
Fruit  small,  oval,  purplish,  ripe  in  October.  Height  in  the  woods 
thirty  to  fifty  feet,  in  open  ground  about  the  size  of  the  apple 
tree. 

The  Thick-leaved  Celtis  or  Hackberry.  C.  crassifolia. — 
Michaux  mentions  this  as  “ one  of  the  finest  trees  which  compose 
the  dusky  forests  of  the  Ohio,”  where  it  sometimes  attains  the 
height  of  eighty  feet,  with  a very  small  trunk  in  proportion  to  its 
height.  Bark  reddish-brown.  Young  branches  downy.  It  is  not 
frequently  found  in  either  the  northern  or  southern  States,  but 
principally  on  the  valleys  of  rivers  in  the  middle  States.  The 
leaves  are  six  inches  long,  three  or  four  inches  broad,  oval-acumi- 
nate, serrated  thick,  and  rough.  Flowers  small,  white,  in  May. 
Fruit  the  size  of  a large  cherry-stone,  purple  or  black,  ripe  in  Octo- 
ber. There  is  a specimen  of  this  species  near  the  West-town  board- 
ing school,  Westchester,  Pa.,  with  almost  the  size  and  grandeur 
of  a full  grown  spreading  white  oak. 


THE  PERSIMMON.  Dyospyrus  virginiana. 

The  persimmon,  or  Virginia  date  plum,  is  a medium-sized, 
open-headed  tree,  with  foliage  of  unusual  beauty.  The  leaves  are 
single,  alternate,  from  four  to  six  inches  long,  smooth-edged,  pol- 
ished as  those  of  the  orange,  and  much  larger.  The  fruit  is  the 
size  of  a crab-apple,  red,  and  noted  for  its  bitterness  when  imma- 
ture. The  tree  is  rarely  found  north  of  the  latitude  of  New  York, 
and  cannot  be  considered  quite  hardy  north  of  Philadelphia. 
The  greatest  beauty  of  its  foliage  develops  still  farther  south. 

The  European  Date  Plum,  Dyospyrus  lotus,  is  a beautiful 
tree  common  in  the  south  of  Europe,  but  quite  tender. 


THE  ALDER.  Alnus. 


Most  of  the  species  grow  in  wet  places.  Downing  does  not  con- 
sider our  native  alders  worthy  of  much  attention.  Sargent,  how- 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


425 


ever,  says  of  the  common  swamp  alder,  Altius  glauca : “ We  hardly 
know  a more  charming  plant  in  winter,  when  covered  with  its 
bright  scarlet  berries,  especially  when  placed  against  hemlocks  or 
other  evergreens.”  Loudon  says  of  it : “This  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  trees  of  the  genus.”  From  these  differences  of  opinion, 
among  persons  of  such  eminent  taste,  may  we  not  infer  that,  though 
beautiful,  as  Mr.  Sargent  claims,  in  winter,  its  beauty  at  other  sea- 
sons is  not  sufficient  to  give  it  marked  value  compared  with  other 
trees  of  similar  size  and  better  qualities  ? We  have  seen  them 
principally  as  bushes  growing  in  swampy  places  by  the  road-side, 
where  they  form  dense  globular  shrubs,  with  glossy  foliage,  some- 
what sombre.  Most  of  the  alders  are  addicted  to  damp  ground. 

The  foreign  species  are  held  in  higher  esteem  than  our  own. 
The  following  are  the  most  esteemed  varieties : 

The  Common  English  Alder,  A. 
glutinoso , has  many  varieties. 

The  Cut-leaved  Alder,  A.  laciniata, 
is  one  of  the  finest.  Fig.  137  is  a por- 
trait of  a fine  English  specimen.  It  be- 
comes a spreading  pyramidal  tree  from 
fifty  to  sixty  feet  high.  The  foliage  is 
fern  like. 

The  Imperial  Cut-leaved  Alder, 

A.  laciniata,  is  another  variety,  said  to  be 
of  still  more  vigorous  habit. 

The  Golden  Alder,  A.  glutinoso 
aurca , is  a sport  of  the  common  alder,  of  brilliant  and  singular 
foliage,  and  highly  recommended  in  England  and  France. 

The  Heart-leaved  Alder,  A.  cordifolia , Sargent  alludes  to 
as  “a  large  tree,  native  of  Calabria,  with  large,  deep-green,  shining 
leaves,  rather  broad,  heart-shaped,”  which  grows  rapidly,  and 
which  he  has  found  hardy  at  Fishkill,  on  the  Hudson.  Loudon 
says  of  it:  “A  large,  handsome,  round-headed  tree.  Height  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet.  It  grows  with  rapidity  in  a dry  soil,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  ornamental  trees  that  have  of  late  years 
been  introduced.”  By  large  Loudon  evidently  means  large  among 


Fig.  137. 


426 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


alders,  as  the  dimensions  given  rank  it  with  the  smallest  class  of 
trees. 

Gilpin,  whose  works  on  landscape  gardening  are  of  high  au- 
thority in  England,  considers  the  alder  among  the  most  pictur- 
esque of  aquatic  trees  ; while  Loudon,  in  general  remarks  on  this 
family,  says  : “ As  an  ornamental  tree,  much  cannot  be  said  in 
favor  of  the  alder.” 


Fig.  138 


THE  APPLE  TREE.  Pyrus  malus. 


For  its  beauty  alone  we  here  treat  of  the 
apple  tree — one  of  those  admirable  families  of 
trees  whose  members  are  not  less  beautiful 
because  they  feed  our  stomachs  as  well  as  please 
the  eye.  We  are  apt  to  forget  how  often  Nature  bounteously 
covers  with  beauty  the  productions  which  minister  most  to  our 
necessities.  The  bread-fruit,  the  palm,  the  banana,  and  the  cocoa 
of  the  tropics,  all  bear  witness  to  the  unity  of  the  greatest  beauty 
and  the  greatest  utility ; while  the  nut-trees,  and  the  fruit-trees  of 
the  north,  with  their  fine  foliage,  fragrant  blossoms,  and  savory 
fruit,  teach  the  same  lesson  in  our  temperate  zone.  We  have  seen 
the  Magnolia  soulangeana,  with  its  immense  blossoms,  and  the 
finest  horse-chestnuts,  like  bountiful  mountains  of  bouquets,  bloom- 
ing at  the  same  time,  and  near  old  apple  trees  ; and  gazing  on  all 
their  florescent  splendor,  have  doubted  which,  if  all  of  them  were 
equally  novelties , would  be  awarded  the  palm  for  the  greatest  beauty 
of  bloom.  The  flowers  of  the  magnolia  and  the  horse-chestnut 
are  more  showy  ; but  how  inferior  in  delicacy  and  ^fragrance  ! Each 
twig  of  the  apple  tree,  with  its  clusters  of  buds  and  blossoms, 
bedded  in  nests  of  bright  opening  leaves,  is,  in  itself,  an  exquisite 
wild  bouquet. 

The  apple  tree  comes  early  into  leaf,  and  its  foliage  is  dark, 
glossy,  and  abundant.  Its  low,  spreading  form  has  a home  expres- 
sion ; and,  for  a tree  of  no  great  size,  there  is  something  grand  in 
the  wide  extension  of  the  branches  of  old  trees,  casting  shadows 
sometimes  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  in  diameter ; and  we  have  seen 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


427 


sound  trunks  three  feet  in  diameter.  Fig.  139  is  a portrait  of  a 
remarkable  apple  tree  growing  in  a 
low  pasture-field  on  the  flats  of 
Mamaroneck,  N.  Y.,  but  little  above 
the  level  of  high  tide.  Its  top  is 
sixty  feet  in  diameter,  and  thirty  feet 
high.  The  vignettes  of  Chapters  VIII 
and  XVI,  and  the  cut  at  the  end  of 
Chapter  II,  illustrate  some  of  the  home-pictures  to  which  apple 
trees  contribute  a principal  charm. 

In  its  early  growth  the  apple  tree  has  only  the  beauty  of  thrift 
and  blossoms.  It  is  then  too  round  and  even,  in  the  ramification 
of  its  branches,  to  have  much  play  of  light  and  shade  in  the  breaks 
of  its  foliage.  Only  the  old  trees  develop  noble  horizontal  branches 
and  massive  shadows ; and  it  is  for  such  that  we  ask  the  most  lov- 
ing protection.  From  the  time  the  tree  is  out  of  bloom  till  the 
fruit  begins  to  color,  it  is  certainly  inferior  to  some  of  the  maples,  the 
horse-chestnut,  the  hickories,  and  many  other  trees,  in  wealth  of 
verdure,  variety  of  outline,  and  contrast  of  light  and  shade.  But 
then  what  a crown  it  bears  a few  months  later,  of  golden  or  ruddy 
fruit,  beautiful  as  blossoms ! The  apple  tree  need  never  be  dis- 
carded from  the  decorated  grounds  of  any  one  who  will  keep  his 
lawn  closely  shaven,  and  clean  of  falling  fruit.  Without  such  care 
the  wind-falls  and  worm-falls  of  fruit  will  soon  breed  corruption  in 
the  grass,  and  new  crops  of  insects  to  attack  the  fruit  the  following 
season.  The  beauty  and  usefulness  of  a thrifty  old  tree  is  well 
worth  this  care. 

Notwithstanding  we  place  so  high  a value  on  old  apple  trees  for 
home-grounds,  we  would  not,  on  quite  small  grounds,  plant  them 
for  ornament ; since  it  is  only  after  the  tree  has  been  growing  from 
twenty  to  forty  years  that  it  assumes  its  most  pleasing  expression. 
Other  trees  will  develop  beauty  much  more  rapidly.  For  fruit,  ex- 
cept on  large  lots,  the  cherry,  the  pear,  the  grape,  and  the  different 
berry  shrubs  yield  far  more  value,  in  proportion  to  the  room  they 
occupy.  Apples  are  always  cheaper  to  buy  than  the  smaller  fruits, 
and  the  trees  take  up  so  much  room,  that  we  would  only  plant 
them  on  lots  where  the  ground  devoted  to  orchard  is  a half  acre  or 


428 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


more.  But  where  full  grown  trees  are  already  on  the  ground  they 
should  be  treated  like  “ company,”  whether  they  stand  in  the  front, 
flank,  or  rear,  of  the  house,  or  the  house-site. 

Most  of  the  apples  noted  for  their  excellence  are  borne  on  trees 
that  are  handsome  to  the  eye,  so  that  in  naming  a small  list  for 
places  where  there  is  room  for  them,  the  character  of  the  fruit,  and 
its  successive  maturity,  is  alone  considered.  The  following  is  a list 
of  twelve  summer  and  autumn  sorts.  Yellow  Harvest,  Sweet  Bough, 
Early  Joe,  Red  Astrachan  (for  its  beauty  and  for  cooking),  Graven- 
stein,  American  Summer  Pearmain,  Summer  Queen,  Autumn 
Bough,  Porter,  Jersey  Sweeting,  Maiden’s  Blush,  Fall  Pippin. 

Those  who  have  space  to  plant  orchards  for  winter  apples,  will 
find  works  on  orchard  fruits,  adapted  to  their  wants. 

The  Crab-apple.  Pyrus  malus  acerba. — All  the  crab-apples 
are  noted  for  the  beauty  and  the  exquisite  fragrance  of  their  blos- 
soms. which  exceed  in  size  those  of  the 
common  apple  tree.  Their  forms  are 
similar,  but  smaller  and  lower,  being 
from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet  in  height, 
and  somewhat  greater  breadth  at  ma- 
turity. The  young  wood  of  the  wild 
European  and  American  varieties  is 
thorny,  crooked,  and  hard,  so  that  the 
tree  can  be  used  for  hedges.  Growing 
in  a rich  soil,  and  preserved  from  the  attacks  of  the  borer,  the  crab- 
apple  tree  becomes  a massy-foliaged  low  tree,  whose  lower  boughs 
nearly  rest  on  the  ground  at  their  extremities. 

The  American  or  Sweet-scented  Crab,  P.  m.  coronaria , is  a 
finer  variety  than  the  wildings  of  Europe,  having  more  fragrant 
blossoms,  which  cover  the  tree  in  May.  The  foliage  is  said  also  to 
remain  on  the  tree  longer.  The  fruit  is  round,  about  an  inch  in 
diameter,  a pure  green  color,  and  of  a pungent  acidity  that  has 
made  the  phrase  “ as  sour  as  a crab  ” a by-word  in  the  language. 
The  leaves  when  touched  by  the  frost  have  an  odor  of  violets.  Its 
bark  is  rough  and  scaly. 


Fig.  140. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


429 


The  Siberian  /Crab,  P.  m.  prim  folia,  has  smoother,  lighter- 
colored  twigs  and  bark  than  our  wilding,  a more  graceful  growth, 
and  less  abundant  and  less  fragrant  bloom  ; but  its  clusters  of 
small  yellow  fruit  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the  tree  in  Septem- 
ber. There  is  a variety  with  pink-colored  fruit. 

The  Chinese  Double-flowering  Crab,  P.  spectabilis , is  the 
finest  of  all  the  crab-trees  for  ornamental  planting.  Its  blossoms 
are  semhdouble,  very  large,  nearly  two  inches  in  diameter,  of  a 
rose-color  when  expanded,  but  a beautiful  deep  red  in  the  bud. 
The  fruit  is  yellow,  when  ripe,  and  the  size  of  a cherry.  The  tree 
attains  a larger  size  than  most  of  the  crab-apple  trees.  It  is  an 
upright  grower,  when  young,  but  with  age  its  branches  spread  and 
bend  until  it  becomes  a graceful  drooping-boughed  tree.  Height 
and  breadth  of  top  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet. 


THE  PEAR  TREE.  Pyrus. 

i 

”Ye  have  no  history.  1 ask  in  vain 
Who  planted  on  the  slope  this  lofty  group 
Of  ancient  pear  trees,  that  with  springtime  burst 
Into  such  breadth  of  bloom.  One  bears  a scar 
Where  the  quick  lightning  scored  its  trunk,  yet  still 
It  feels  the  breath  of  spring,  and  every  May 
Is  white  with  blossoms.  Who  it  was  that  laid 
Their  infant  roots  in  earth,  and  tenderly 
Cherished  the  delicate  sprays,  I ask  in  vain, 

Yet  bless  the  unknown  hand  to  which  I owe 
This  annual  festival  of  bees,  these  songs 
Of  birds  within  their  leafy  screens,  these  shouts 
Of  joy  from  children  gathering  up  the  fruit 
Shaken  in  August  from  the  willing  boughs.’* 

Bryant. 

The  pear  is  so  elegant  a tree,  that,  even  if  it  bore  no  fruit,  it 
would  rank  high  for  decorative  planting.  The  lovely  green  of  its 
bursting  leaves,  which  are  among  the  earliest  to  expand,  must  be 
familiar  to  all  who  have  ever  observed  trees ; while  its  floods  of 
clustered  white  blossoms  make  it  like  a snowy  pyramid.  Later  in 
the  season  its  glossy  foliage  is  surpassed  by  very  few  forest  trees  ; 


430 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


while  its  fruit  is  one  of  the  most  luscious  of  our  zone.  Most 
varieties  of  pears  assume  a distinctly  pyramidal  form,  with  an 
irregular  and  rather  hedge-like  ramification  of  branches  and  spurs 
as  the  trees  grow  old.  Without  its  leaves  it  is  a rough  and  rather 
unpleasing  tree.  In  size  it  is  of  the  second  or  third  class,  fre- 
quently attaining  a height  of  forty  to  fifty  feet,  and  a diameter  of 
head  of  thirty  feet.  Its  flowers  are  pure  white,  in  clusters,  fragrant, 
and  cover  the  tree  profusely  in  April  or  May.  Unlike  the  peach 
tree,  the  pear  tree  if  not  grown  too  luxuriantly  when  quite  young  is 
a hardy  and  long-lived  tree.  If  planters  would  wait  till  their  trees 
are  in  full  bearing  before  manuring  or  otherwise  forcing  a strong 
growth  of  wood,  few  pear  trees  would  die  young.  Old  trees  gene- 
rally get  too  few,  and  young  trees  too  many  of  such  favors.  It 
growls  well  in  any  soil  which  is  warm  and  well  drained,  but  needs 
to  be  grown  in  cultivated  ground,  otherwise  the  tree  soon  assumes 
a stunted  and  mossy  appearance  and  the  fruit  will  be  quite  inferior. 

For  garden  culture  pears  have  been  much  grown  on  quince 
roots,  which  make  dwarf  trees.  Some  varieties  bear  more  and 
better  fruit  when  thus  dwarfed.  These  dwarf  pear  trees  are  ex- 
ceedingly interesting  in  every  stage  of  their  growth,  and  both  for 
their  beauty  and  their  quick  fruiting,  merit  some  of  the  popularity 
they  have  attained.  Still,  we  would  recommend  planters  not  to 
rely  on  their  dwarf,  but  rather  on  their  standard  trees  for  a per- 
manent supply  of  pears.  The  former  should  be  regarded  more  as 
temporary  investments,  or  perhaps  as  garden  pets,  the  beauty  of 
whose  growth  and  early  productiveness  will  serve  to  make  us  forget 
to  be  impatient  of  the  later  productiveness  of  the  standards.  But 
the  latter  are  by  far  the  most  profitable  in  the  end,  and  many  of 
the  very  best  varieties  bear  almost  as  quickly  on  their  own  roots  as 
upon  quince  roots. 

The  Louise  Bonne  de  Jersey,  Duchesse  d’Angouleme,  White  Do- 
yenne or  Virgalieu,  Vicar  of  Wakefield,  and  Pound  pear  (for  baking), 
are  varieties  desirable  to  grow  on  quince.  The  following  is  a good 
list  of  ten  summer  and  autumn  sorts  on  their  own  stocks  for  perma- 
nent trees,  with  the  proportional  number  of  each,  recommended  for 
a collection  of  twenty  trees,  viz. : one  Madelaine,  one  Bloodgood, 
one  Rostiezer,  one  Dearborn’s  seedling,  four  Bartletts,  one  Flemish 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


431 


beauty,  one  Beurre  Bose,  four  Seckels,  one  Virgalieu,  one  Sheldon, 
one  Beurre  Diel,  one  Dix,  one  Lawrence,  and  two  Pound  pears  for 
cooking.  For  a collection  of  ten  standards  we  would  name  one 
Madelaine,  one  Bloodgood,  one  Dearborn’s  seedling,  four  Bartletts> 
one  Flemish  beauty,  two  Seckels.  The  variety  of  fine  autumn 
pears  is  however  so  large,  that  with  the  exception  of  the  Bartletts 
and  Seckels  which  are  indispensable  in  the  proportions  named, 
numerous  other  varieties  of  equal  value  may  be  substituted.  , 


THE  MOUNTAIN  ASH.  Pyrus  sorbus. 

The  European  Mountain  Ash,  P.  aucuparia , and  the 
American,  P.  a7nericana,  are  both  among  the  most  common  of 
small  ornamental  trees,  planted  principally  for  the  beauty  in  au- 
tumn of  their  large  drooping  clusters  of  bright  red  fruit,  which 
remain  a long  time  on  the  tree,  and  produce  a brilliant  effect. 
The  foliage  is  composed  of  pinnate  leaves,  forming  a delicate  spray, 
but  of  dull  color,  and  not  disposed  to  form  pleasing  masses  of 
light  and  shade.  The  tree  is  compactly  ovate  when  young,  but 
becomes  round-headed  with  age.  The  European  variety  has  the 
brighter-colored  fruit,  and  is  rather  more  desirable.  They  become 
trees  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  and  nearly  equal  diameter. 
The  following  are  interesting  varieties: 

The  Weeping  Mountain  Ash,  P.  pendula , is  a variety  of  the 
P.  aucuparia,  of  rapid  growth,  and  decidedly  pendulous  or  trailing 
habit.  The  flowers,  leaves,  and  fruit,  are  like  the  preceding.  It  is 
apt  to  be  bald  on  the  crown,  showing  too  plainly  the  bent  frame- 
work of  its  branches  ; but  in  other  respects  is  a desirable  lawn 
tree.  It  is  grafted  high  on  some  of  the  upright  varieties. 

The  Oak-leaved  Mountain  Ash,  P.  pinnatifida , is  quite 
distinct  from  the  aucuparia  in  its  general  appearance,  and  in  the 
character  of  its  leaves,  though  it  assumes  nearly  the  same  outline. 
The  leaves  are  simple,  instead  of  compound,  and  deeply-lobed ; a 
bright  pure  green  on  the  upper  surface,  and  quite  downy  beneath. 
At  a little  distance  its  solid  mass  of  foliage  gives  the  impression 
of  a maple  rather  than  a mountain  ash.  It  is  in  full  leaf  as  early 


432 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


as  the  horse-chestnut,  and  holds  its  leaves  and  color  late.  In 
bloom  and  fruit  it  closely  resembles  the  preceding  varieties  of  the 
mountain  ash,  but  in  the  color  of  its  foliage,  and  the  breaks  of 
light  and  shadow  on  its  surface,  it  is  a much  finer  tree.  Height 
and  breadth  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet.  There  is  a weeping  variety 
of  this  species,  which  we  have  not  seen,  but  which  is  reputed  to  be 
interesting ; also  a large-leaved  variety. 

The  Dwarf-profuse-flowering  Mountain  Ash,  P.  nana 
floribunda , is  a variety  of  the  oak-leaved  mountain  ash,  but  the 
leaves  have  returned  to  the  primal  form  of  the  species,  being  com- 
pound, quite  delicate,  and  acacia-like.  It  is  grafted  on  other 
stocks  from  four  to  six  feet  high.  The  blossoms,  in  small  and 
abundant  white  clusters,  appear  in  May.  In  blossom,  foliage,  and 
bright-red  fruit,  it  is  equally  pretty. 

There  are  many  other  varieties  named  in  nursery  catalogues, 
but  the  above  are  the  most  noteworthy. 


Fig.  141. 


THE  DOGWOOD.  Camus. 

The  dogwood  family  are  numerous,  and  vary  widely  from  each 
other  in  their  characteristics.  They  form  low  suckering  shrubs  and 
whip-plants  on  the  borders  of  streams  and  in  wet  ground,  and  in 
other  places  low  trees,  most  of  which  are  indigenous  from  Canada 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  most  common,  and  the  most  showy 
in  blossom,  if  not  in  leaf,  is  the  following : 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


433 


The  White-flowering  Dogwood,  Cornus  florida.  Fig.  141 
is  a portrait  of  a remarkably  fine  specimen,  on  the  grounds  of 
E.  B.  Gardett,  Esq.,  of  Germantown,  Pa.  It  is  about  sixteen  feet 
in  height,  thirty  feet  across  the  longest  spread  of  its  branches,  and 
ten  inches  in  diameter  of  trunk.  In  the  woods  it  often  reaches  the 
height  of  twenty  to  thirty  feet,  and  is  generally  found  wild  on  or 
near  the  banks  of  streams.  It  is  remarkable  for  the  size  and 
showiness  of  its  white  blossoms,  which  make  their  appearance  in 
April,  before  the  leaves,  and  cover  the  tree  like  immense  snow- 
flakes. They  are  from  two  to  three  inches  in  diameter.  The 
leaves  are  in  opposite  pairs,  and  vary  in  color  on  different  trees 
and  localities  from  a light  grayish-green  to  dark-green,  those  which 
are  light-colored  being  rougher  in  surface ; glossiness  being  usually 
associated  with  the  darker  color.  The  prevailing  tone,  however,  is 
a light  green  early  in  the  season,  becoming  somewhat  darker  and 
more  glossy  at  the  close.  The  tree  is  too  common  to  be  fully  ap- 
preciated. Those  who  have  been  familiar  with  it  only  in  the  woods, 
can  form  but  a poor  idea  of  its  beauty  when  grown  in  rich  deep 
soils  and  open  exposures.  In  such  places  it  assumes  an  umbrella 
form,  and  is  not  only  superb  in  its  April  crown  of  white  blossoms, 
and  its  massy  head  of  summer  leaves,  but  in  autumn,  its  foliage 
turning  to  a deep  red,  makes  the  tree  a brilliant  companion  of  the 
varied-hued  maples,  the  golden  sassafras,  the  scarlet  oak,  and  the 
glowing  bronze  of  the  liquidamber.  Besides  being  of  an  umbrella 
form  in  outline,  this  dogwood  is  peculiar  in  the  sharp  stratification 
of  the  lights  and  shadows  of  its  foliage.  The  fruit  is  scarlet,  but 
quite  small. 

We  advise  planters  who  intend  to  give  this  tree  an  open  place 
on  the  lawn,  to  obtain  their  trees  of  small  size  from  a good  nursery 
instead  of  taking  trees  from  the  woods,  as  the  latter  rarely  grow 
well,  or  become  so  well-formed  trees.  To  develop  the  great  beauty 
of  the  dogwood  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  soil  be  well 
drained,  deep,  cool,  and  rich. 

Nurserymen  in  obtaining  seed  of  this  variety  to  propagate, 
should  endeavor  to  take  it  only  from  those  trees  which  are  observa- 
ble for  the  purity  and  abundance  of  their  summer  foliage,  and  its 
brilliancy  in  autumn.  It  is  a tendency  of  most  gay  autumn-tinted 
28 


434 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


trees  to  lose  their  brightness  under  high  culture  and  rapid  growth, 
and  it  is  therefore  necessary  to  guard  against  this  tendency  by  hor- 
ticultural discrimination. 

The  Male  Dogwood  or  Cornelian  Cherry.  Cornus  mas . — 
This  tree,  though  a native  of  Europe,  closely  resembles  the  Cornus 
florida, , except  in  its  flowers  and  fruit,  and  that  it  forms  a still 
smaller  tree.  The  flowers  are  insignificant,  and  appear  in  March 
or  April.  The  beautiful  cornelian-colored  fruit,  the  size  of  a small 
acorn,  is  one  of  the  attractions  of  the  tree.  This  is  ripe  from  Sep- 
tember to  November,  and  hangs  long  on  the  branches.  The  tree 
is  long-lived  and  improves  with  age. 

The  White-fruited  or  Red-twigged  Dogwood,  C.  alba , of 
Loudon,  C.  stolonifera  of  Michaux  and  Central  Park.  Accustomed 
from  childhood  to  see  this  dogwood  in  the  copses  of  wet  alluvial 
soils,  and  to  associate  its  brilliant-colored  sprouts  principally  with 
the  whips  used  in  school  chastisements,  it  has  surprised  us  to  see 
how  beautiful  a shrub  it  makes  in  rich  open  ground.  There  are 
few  more  pleasing  shrubs  in  the  Central  Park,  where  it  forms 
broadly-spreading  bushes  from  six  to  ten  feet  high.  The  leaves  are 
of  a glossy  green,  thin,  four  to  six  inches  long,  and  superior  in  . 
brightness  of  tone  to  any  of  the  dogwoods.  They  turn  to  yellow 
and  red  in  autumn.  The  flowers  are  white,  small,  in  large  clusters, 
and  appear  from  May  to  July.  The  fruit  is  white,  and  ripe  in  Sep- 
tember. The  young  wood  is  of  a brilliant  light  red,  with  a slight 
bloom  upon  it.  This  feature  makes  it  a pretty  winter  shrub,  where 
its  wood  can  be  seen  against  the  snow.  This  is  the  shrub  often 
sold  at  the  nurseries  as  Cornus  satiguinea — a very  appropriate  title, 
but  one  which  had  been  given  by  botanists  to  a longer  known  Eu- 
ropean variety,  on  account  of  the  deep  red  of  its  decaying  leaves. 

The  Silky  Dogwood,  Cornus  sericea  of  Loudon,  C.  lanuginoso 
of  Michaux.  A spreading  shrub  of  large  size,  resembling  the  Cor- 
nus florida  in  its  foliage,  but  less  tree-like  in  form.  Flowers  white, 
in  June  and  July.  Fruit  bright  blue,  ripe  in  October.  Leaves  in 
autumn  a rusty  brown,  sometimes  crimson ; petioles  a bright  pink. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


435 


Naked  young  wood'  brown  and  green.  Size,  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in 
height,  and  greater  diameter. 

The  Panicled-flowered  Dogwood,  C.  paniculata,  is  a tree  or 
shrub  of  more  upright  growth,  with  a profusion  of  white  flowers  in 
July  and  August,  and  purplish  young  wood.  Height,  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet.  On  account  of  its  compactness  it  is  considered  one 
of  the  best  for  small  grounds. 

The  Round-leaved  Dogwood.  Cornus  cercinata. — A species 
noted  for  its  large  circular  wavy  leaves,  which  are  downy  on  the 
under  side,  and  for  its  rough  warted  branches.  Flowers  small, 
white,  in  June  and  July.  Fruit  white  when  ripe,  in  October. 
Young  wood  slightly  tinged  with  red.  Height  five  to  ten  feet. 

The  Variegated-leaved  Dogwood,  Cornus  mascula  variegata , 
is  a pretty  variation,  with  leaves  striped  or  blotched  with  white, 
interesting  to  persons  who  fancy  trees  which  sport  in  this  manner, 
and  considered  one  of  the  most  desirable  variegated-leaved  shrubs 
in  cultivation. 

The  Siberian  Golden  Variegated-leaved  Dogwood,  C. 
aurea  variegata , has  a yellow  stripe  on  its  leaves,  and  bark  striped 
with  red  and  yellow.  The  latter  is  quite  curious. 

All  the  foregoing  varieties  have  their  leaves  in  opposite  pairs. 
The  following  has  alternate  leaves : 

The  Alternate-leaved  Dogwood.  Cornus  alternifolia. — We 
are  not  familiar  with  this  variety  in  cultivation.  Loudon  thus 
speaks  of  it : “ This  species  is  easily  known  from  every  other,  even 
at  a distance,  by  the  horizontal,  umbelliferous  character  assumed  by 
the  branches,  which  are  dichotomous,  with  clusters  of  leaves  at  the 
joints,  and  the  general  color  is  a lively  green.  The  leaves  are  gen- 
erally alternate,  but  not  unfrequently  opposite.  Flowers  white, 
May  to  July.  Fruit  purple,  ripe  in  October.  Decaying  leaves  red- 
dish-yellow. Naked  young  wood  greenish  or  reddish  brown.”  It 
seems  doubtful  if  Loudon  were  familiar  with  the  horizontally  um- 
belliferous character  of  our  Cornus  florida , or  he  would  not  have 
thought  of  making  this  trait  a distinguishing  one  of  the  Cornus 
alternifolia  ; it  is  a characteristic  of  all  the  arboreous  dogwoods. 


436 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


THE  JUDAS,  OR  RED-BUD  TREE.  Cercis  canadensis. 


Fig.  142.  A beautiful  little  tree,  native  of  our 

forests  in  most  parts  of  the  country. 
When  grown  in  open  ground,  its  head 
spreads  broad  and  low  in  parasol  form. 
It  is  covered  the  last  of  April,  or  early 
in  May,  before  the  leaves  expand,  with 
a profusion  of  very  small  pink  blos- 
soms, that  are  showy  by  their  abund- 
ance, and  have  given  the  tree  the 
name  of  red-bud,  by  which,  when 
growing  wild,  it  is  usually  known.  When  grown 
with  full  exposure  to  the  sun,  in  rich  soil,  the 
leaves  are  from  five  to  seven  inches  in  diameter, 
a perfect  heart-shape,  of  a pure  green  color  and 
glossy  surface  on  the  upper  side,  and  grayish- 
green  beneath,  forming  a mass  of  most  cleanly 
and  elegant  foliage.  The  leaves  are  quite  free 
from  the  attacks  of  insects.  A cultivated  tree 
in  rich  ground  differs  so  much  from  the  same 
sort  growing  in  the  woods,  that  it  is  scarcely  recognizable  as  the 
same ; changing  from  a straggling  small-leaved,  thin-foliaged, 
scrawny  little  tree,  to  one  of  the  most  luxuriant  of  low-spreading 
trees.  The  engraving,  Fig.  142,  is  a portrait  characteristic  of  the 
appearance  of  the  tree  when  young ; the  specimen  from  which  it 
was  drawn  having  been  planted  but  six  years.  As  it  increases  in 
age  the  head  becomes  more  oblate  and  distinctly  parasol-like.  The 
seeds  of  the  tree  are  contained  in  bean-like  pods  from  four  to  six 
inches  long,  which  hang  on  the  tree  through  the  winter.  Height, 
at  maturity,  from  twelve  to  eighteen  feet ; breadth  of  head  twenty 
to  thirty  feet. 

The  English  Judas-tree,  Cercis  siliquastrum , is  quite  similar 
to  the  above,  the  leaves  being  a little  smaller  and  the  flowers 
darker.  The  latter  “ have  an  agreeable  acid  taste,  and  are  mixed 
in  salads,  or  fried  in  batter  as  fritters.” 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


437 


THE  HALESIA,  SNOWDROP,  OR  SILVER-BELL  TREE. 

Halesia  tetraptera. 

Low-spreading  trees,  blossoming 
in  April  and  May,  with  a profusion  of 
pure  white  pendant  flowers  resembling 
those  of  the  snowdrop.  They  are 
about  five-eighths  of  an  inch  in  length, 
and  hang  in  clusters  on  the  last  year’s 
wood. 

Fig.  143  gives  a good  idea  of  the 
form  and  style  of  a tree  of  this  species 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  old,  and  of  the 
forms  of  the  leaves,  flowers,  and  seed 
capsules.  The  latter  are  shown  one- 
fifth  the  natural  size,  and  the  leaves 
one-twelfth.  During  the  autumn,  or  last  part  of  the  summer,  the 
head  is  covered  with  the  four-winged  seeds  or  capsules  that  distin- 
guish the  tree  at  that  season.  The  leaves  are  about  the  size  of 
those  of  the  syringa,  of  a fine  healthy  color,  without  gloss,  and, 
when  the  tree  is  thrifty  and  mature,  mass  well.  There  is  a fine  old 
specimen  in  the  New  York  Central  Park,  near  one  of  the  walks  to 
the  Ramble,  that  is  about  fifteen  feet  high  and  more  than  thirty 
feet  across  the  spread  of  its  branches,  which  rest  upon  the  ground. 

There  is  a large  specimen  on  the  grounds  of  Miss Price,  near 

Germantown,  Pa.,  which,  though  badly  shaded  by  other  trees,  has  a 
trunk  sixteen  inches  in  diameter,  top  twenty-five  feet  high,  and  is 
fifty  feet  across  the  greatest  extension  of  its  branches ! There  are 
higher  trees  of  this  species  in  England,  but  none  on  record  of  so 
great  diameter. 

The  Two-winged  Fruited  Halesia  or  Snowdrop,  H.  diptera, 
is  a smaller  tree,  with  larger  leaves  and  flowers,  and  less  hardy 
than  the  preceding ; otherwise  closely  resembles  it. 


Fig.  143. 


438 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


THORN  TREES.  Cratcegus. 

Mostly  low,  flat-headed  trees.  Though  some  of  the  prettiest 
varieties  of  the  tree-thorns  in  the  world  are  growing  wild  in  all  the 
States,  they  are  so  common,  and  their  varieties  so  numerous,  that 

they  have  been  little  valued  and  rarely 
grown  in  nurseries  or  pleasure  grounds. 
The  English  hawthorn,  of  which  so 
much  has  been  said  and  sung,  is  infe- 
rior in  foliage  to  some  of  our  native  va- 
rieties, and  but  little  superior  in  flow- 
ers or  fruit.  The  varieties  of  native 
thorn  trees  are  almost  as  numerous 
as  apples  in  a nursery  catalogue,  and  our  descriptions  must  be 
limited  to  a few  species  and  varieties,  at  the  risk  of  leaving  un- 
noticed many  of  conspicuous  beauty.  Nearly  all  of  them  are 
observable  for  the  sharpness  of  their  thorns,  their  abundant  clusters 
of  blossoms  in  May,  their  dense  growth  and  low-spreading  forms. 
On  most  varieties  the  foliage  masses  in  horizontal  and  rather  thin 
stratifications,  especially  in  the  crus-galli  members  of  the  family. 
The  fruit  is  generally  red,  varying  from  the  size  of  a pea  to  that  of 
a cherry.  The  larger  sorts  have  a perfumed  and  quite  agreeable 
flavor,  and  are  known  as  thorn-apples.  The  abundance  of  the 
fruit  gives  a ruddy  tone  to  the  trees  in  August  and  September,  and 
a few  sorts  are  planted  in  England  for  the  beauty  of  the  fruit  alone. 

All  the  species  may  be  clipped  into  good  hedges,  but  some  va- 
rieties of  the  crus-galli  are  the  best  adapted  for  that  purpose. 

The  blossoms  and  fruit  are  borne  in  clusters,  the  former  gene- 
rally white,  and  the  latter  red,  though  there  are  varieties  with  bright- 
colored  blossoms,  and  yellow,  green,  and  black  fruit.  The  time 
of  their  flowering  varies  in  the  different  sorts  from  March  to  July, 
but  most  varieties  bloom  about  the  last  of  May,  and  ripen  their 
fruit  in  September. 

Whether  we  look  at  their  blossoms,  their  glossy  leaves,  their 
dense  low  growth,  the  clearly  marked  lights  and  shadows  of  their 
foliage,  their  facility  for  trimming  into  hedges  or  other  artificial 


Fig.  144. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


439 


forms,  or  the  number  of  differing  varieties,  we  find  them  equally 
adapted  to  beautify  small  grounds.  No  one  family  of  trees  furnishes 
so  many  pretty  specimen  small  trees  for  a lawn ; ranging  in  size 
from  the  smallest  shrubs  to  middle-sized  trees — some  of  them 
almost  evergreen.  All  the  species  require  a dry,  rich  soil;  in 
which  their  annual  growth  for  the  first  ten  years  will  be  from  one 
to  two  feet  a year. 

The  Cockspur  Thorn,  C.  crus-gallif  Fig.  145,  is  the  most 
interesting  of  indigenous  species.  All  its 
varieties  will  assume  a distinct  tree-form, 
though  some  of  them  are  but  shrubs  in  size. 

The  breadth  of  their  heads  is  usually  greater 
than  their  height,  and  their  forms  vary-  from 
globular  to  squarish-oblate.  Their  greatest 
height  and  breadth  is  about  thirty  feet,  but 
usually  not  more  than  from  twelve  to  twenty 
feet.  This  species  is  distinguished  by  thicker 
and  glossier  leaves,  more  entire  in  outline  than 
the  other  sorts ; being  more  or  less  serrate, 
but  not  lobed.  The  thorns  are  single,  long, 
and  very  sharp.  At  maturity  the  branches, 
which  are  numerous,  have  a horizontal 
direction,  and  the  lights  and  shadows  are 
in  thin,  sharply  defined,  and  generally  level  lines  like  those  of  the 
beech  tree.  We  have  seen  wild  groves  of  these  thorns,  in  western 
openings,  which  by  the  aid  of  sheep  had  become  exquisite  bits  of 
park  scenery.  The  sheep  had  fed  on  their  sweet  leaves  as  high 
as  they  could  reach  from  beneath,  so  that  the  under  sides  of  the 
trees  were  as  level  as  the  pasture  below  them.  Above  this  level 
line  the  trees  spread  in  stratified  lines  of  foliage  entirely  in  har- 
mony with  the  polished  and  artificial  cut  of  their  bases.  Their 
broad  heads,  so  close  to  the  lawn,  and  yet  with  a clearly  defined 
space  above  it,  make  shadows  of  great  depth,  which  bring  the 
lights  around  them  into  bright  relief. 

The  most  peculiar  varieties  are  the  C.  c.  splendens,  noted  for  the 
abundance  and  brilliant  glossiness  of  its  leaves  ; the  plum-leaved 


Fig.  145. 


440 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


Fig.  146. 


thorn,  C.  c.  pninifolia , for  short  broad  leaves, 
fastigiate  habit  and  showy  red  autumn  foliage ; 
the  C.  c.  pyracanthafolia  and  the  C.  c.  salid/loia, 
or  willow-leaved,  are  curiously  low  and  broad 
little  trees ; and  the  C.  c.  nana  is  the  smallest 
dwarf  of  all.  Fig.  146  shows  the  form  of  the 
willow-leaved  variety ; which  is  one  of  the 
prettiest  of  all  the  thorn  trees,  and  is  espe- 
cially noted  for  the  level  spread  of  its  top. 


THE  TWIN  HAWTHORNS, 


The  Hawthorns.  Cratcegus  oxycantha. — We  quote  the  fol- 
lowing from  Loudon’s  Arboretum  Britannicum : “The  common 
hawthorn,  in  its  wild  state,  is  a shrub  or  small  tree  with  a smooth 
bark,  and  very  hard  wood.  The  rate  of  growth  when  the  plant  is 
young,  and  in  a good  soil  and  climate,  is  from  one  foot  to  two 
or  three  feet  a year  for  the  first  three  or  four  years ; afterwards 
its  growth  is  slower,  till  it  has  attained  the  height  of  twelve  or 
fifteen  feet,  when  its  shoots  are  produced  chiefly  in  a lateral 
direction,  tending  to  increase  the  width  of  the  head  of  the  tree, 
rather  than  its  height.  In  a wild  state  it  is  commonly  found  as 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


441 


a large  dense  bush ; but,  pruned  by  accident  or 
design  to  a single  stem,  it  forms  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  durable  trees  of  the  third  rank  that 
can  be  planted — interesting  and  valuable  for  its 
sweet-scented  flowers  in  May,  and  for  its  fruit  in 
autumn,  which  supplies  food  for  some  of  the  smaller 
birds  during  part  of  the  winter.  In  hedges  the 
hawthorn  does  not  flower  and  fruit  abundantly  when 
closely  and  frequently  clipped ; but  when  the  hedges 
are  only  cut  at  the  sides,  so  as  to  be  kept  within  bounds,  and  the 
summits  are  left  untouched,  they  flower  and  fruit  as  freely  as  when 
trained  as  separate  trees.  The  plant  lives  a century  or  two,  and 
there  are  examples  of  it  between  forty  and  fifty  feet  in  height, 
with  trunks  three  feet  in  diameter  at  one  foot  from  the  ground.” 
It  will  not  flourish  in  a wet,  cold,  or  thin  soil. 

The  hawthorn  may  either  be  used  as  stocks  for,  or  may  be 
grafted  upon,  not  only  all  the  other  thorns,  but  upon  apple  and 
pear  trees.  As  an  ornamental  hedge-plant  it  is  inferior  in  beauty 
in  this  country  to  the  arbor-vitae  and  hemlock,  except  in  its  blos- 
soming time,  and  in  strength  to  resist  animals  to  the  Osage  orange. 

Sir  Uvedale  Price,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  English 
writers  on  landscape  gardening,  especially  recommends  the  haw- 
thorn to  be  used  as  a filling-in  for  a plantation  of  larger  trees  : “ As 
trees  are  frequently  planted  thick  at  first,  with  the  intention  of 
thinning  them  afterwards  ; and  as  this  operation  is  almost  always 
neglected,  no  more  large  trees  ought  to  be  planted  than  are  intended 
filially  to  remain  ; and  the  interstices  should  be  filled  up  with  haw- 
thorns and  other  low  shrubs  and  trees.”  The  growth  of  the  tree  is 
more  rambling  than  that  of  our  best  native  thorns,  and  its  outer 
branches,  intercurving,  and  well  covered  either  with  flowers  or 
leaves,  often  convey  the  impression  of  trees  composed  of  garlands, 
blossoms,  and  leaves.  The  flowers  are  borne  in  greater  profusion 
than  on  our  American  thorn-trees,  and  sport  into  a variety  of  colors. 
Fig.  147  is  a portrait  of  a pair  of  hawthorns  in  the  grounds  of 
Ellwanger  & Barry,  at  Rochester,  which,  in  their  blooming  season, 
are  remarkably  pretty ; the  one  on  the  right  being  a mass  of  double 
white  blossoms,  and  the  one  on  the  left  nearly  as  crowded  with 


Fig.  148. 


442 


DECIDUOUS  T R EES. 


pink  blossoms,  and  their  branches  cross  and  interlace,  so  that  the 
colors  mingle  in  the  centre.  There  can  be  no  prettier  deciduous 
gateway  arch  than  may  be  made  by  planting  a white-flowering 
hawthorn  on  one  side,  and  some  of  the  pink  or  scarlet  varieties 
on  the  other,  for  the  purpose  of  weaving  their  branches  together 
overhead,  and  then  clipping  to  perfect  the  arch,  but  not  so  closely 
on  the  outside  as  to  mar  the  graceful  freedom  of  outline  that  is  one 
of  the  pleasing  features  of  the  hawthorn.  Fig.  37,  on  page  108, 
illustrates  the  mode  of  treatment  here  suggested. 

The  following  are  a few  of  the  numerous  varieties  of  the  haw- 
thorn : 

The  C.  oxycantha  pendula , a charming  little  pendulous  branched 
tree.  Flowers  white. 

The  C.  0.  rosea  has  rose-colored  flowers  in  great  abundance. 
May. 

The  C.  0.  punicea  has  dark-red  flowers  in  May,  brilliant,  like 
clusters  of  verbenas. 

The  C.  0.  punicea  flore  plena  has  double  flowers,  less  brightly 
colored. 

The  C.  0.  multiplex  has  double  white  flowers,  which  die  off  a 
beautiful  pink.  They  are  borne  in  great  profusion,  and  last  a long 
time.  It  has  an  unusually  dark  glossy  leaf,  of 
the  form  shown  in  Fig.  149,  and  thrives  in  par- 
tial shade.  One  of  the  best. 

The  C.  0.  lucida  is  a variety  distinguished  by 
its  vigorous  habit  and  the  unusual  thickness  and 
glossiness  of  its  leaves.  Flowers  white.  There 
are  varieties  with  variegated  leaves,  but  they  are 
not  of  healthy  growth,  and  therefore  not  worth  planting. 

The  C.  0.  stricta  is  an  upright-growing  variety,  almost  as  fas- 
tigiate  as  the  Lombardy  poplar,  and  forms  a pretty  contrast  to 
some  of  the  flat-headed  cockspur  thorns.  All  these  varieties  may 
be  grafted  on  any  of  our  wild  thorns,  and  they  sometimes  succeed 
on  mountain  ash,  pear,  and  quince  stocks. 

The  Scarlet-fruited  Thorn.  Cratagus  coccinea  — Under 
this  botanical  head  are  grouped  many  of  those  varieties  or  species 


Fig.  149. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


443 


commonly  known  as  wild-thorn  apple  trees.  The  leaves  are  irreg- 
ularly heart-shaped,  more  or  less  lobed,  and  acutely  serrated. 
The  flowers  are  white,  except  in  a few 
varieties,  the  fruit  is  larger  than  that  of 
the  hawthorn  or  cockspur  species,  and 
the  growth  is  more  free  and  vigorous. 

The  fruit  has  a most  agreeable  perfume 
and  flavor,  but  differs  in  quality  and  size 
on  different  trees  almost  as  much  as  cul- 
tivated apples ; and  in  autumn  is  orna- 
mental by  reason  of  its  bright  red  color. 

Though  the  trees  have  the  same  char- 
acteristic of  low  breadth  as  the  other 
species,  they  have  a less  artificial  or 
gardenesque  kind  of  beauty  than  the 
cockspur  thorns,  and  the  foliage  masses 
in  larger  divisions  of  light  and  shade. 

Fig.  144,  page  438,  shows  a fine  specimen  of  this  family,  drawn 
from  nature  on  Mount  Desert  Island,  Maine,  which  is  about  fifteen 
feet  high  and  twenty-five  feet  in  breadth.  Fig.  150  represents 
another  and  larger  form  that  some  varieties  assume  at  the  west. 
There  are  hundreds  of  varieties  of  this  species.  The  following  are 
believed  to  be  the  most  interesting : 

The  Double-scarlet  Thorn.  C.  coccinea  flore plena. — This  is 
a new  variety,  and  said  to  excel  all  the  others  in  beauty.  Its  flow- 
ers are  unusually  large,  of  a deep  crimson  color,  with  a scarlet 
shade,  and  very  double.  Foliage  luxuriant  and  glossy. 

The  Dotted-fruited  Thorn,  C.  c.  punctata  aurea , has  yellow 
fruit,  and  grows  to  greater  size  than  many  other  varieties. 

The  Tansy-leaved  Thorn.  C.  tena- 
cetifolia  celsiana. — A vigorous  growing  tree 
of  fastigiate  habit,  and  unusual  size  and 
beauty  of  foliage  and  fruit.  Fig.  15 1 
shows  the  leaf.  The  fruit  is  yellow. 

The  Fiery  Thorn  or  Burning  Bush.  Cratcegus  pyracantha. 
— An  evergreen  or  sub-evergreen  shrub,  of  dense  growth,  with  very 


Fig.  1 5 i . 


Fig.  150. 


444 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


small  leaves,  which  turn  brown  but  do  not  drop  off  in  winter. 
Four  to  six  feet  in  height.  Flowers  white,  in  May.  Fruit  red, 
hanging  a long  time  on  the  tree,  and  by  its  brightness  suggesting 
the  name  of  fiery  thorn.  Parsons  considers  it  the  best  of  the  thorns 
for  low  hedges.  Its  spines  are  very  numerous  and  sharp.  Hardy 
near  New  York.  Height  six  to  twelve  feet. 

The  Medlar.  Mespilus  ( cratcegus ). — This  is  a species  nearly 
allied  in  all  respects  to  the  thorn  family.  The  fruit  is  larger  than 
that  of  our  largest  thorn  apples,  and  pleasantly  flavored  when  in  a 
state  of  incipient  decay.  The  Dutch  medlar  is  the  variety  of 
largest  fruit,  and  Smith’s  medlar,  M.  grandiflora , has  the  most 
showy  flowers.  The  trees  when  old  assume  picturesque  low 
forms,  and  are  well  covered  with  glossy  foliage.  Height  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet. 

The  Buckthorn.  Rhamnus  catharticus. — An  upright  shrubby 
tree,  of  European  origin,  which,  a few  years  since,  was  greatly  com- 
mended as  a hedge  plant.  It  has  not  proved  of  great  value,  being 
inferior  both  in  beauty  and  density  to  our  native  cockspur  thorns, 
and  to  the  Osage  orange.  Its  foliage  is  much  like  that  of  the  com- 
mon privet — a dull  dark  green.  It  has  no  marked  beauty  of  any 
kind. 

The  Broad-leaved  Buckthorn,  R.  latifolius , is  said  to  be  very 
much  finer  than  the  foregoing.  The  shrub  and  its  leaves  being 
much  larger  and  brighter  colored. 


THE  PEACH-TREE.  Persica. 

The  peach-tree  runs  through  three  stages  of  existence  with  re- 
markable rapidity.  When  from  three  to  six  years  old,  there  are 
few  more  beautiful  small  trees.  Its  finely  cut  vivid  green  foliage 
and  symmetrical  form  make  it  a beautiful  small  tree.  But,  after  a 
few  crops,  the  growth  of  the  top  becomes  straggling,  and  at  the  end 
of  six  to  ten  years  its  dead  twigs,  broken  limbs,  and  general  “ lop- 
sidedness,” mark  it  a decrepit  tree.  This  is  the  usual  history  of 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


445 


the  tree  in  sandy. soils.  In  stiff  rich  clays  it  grows  slower  and  lasts 
longer.  But  it  is  a fruit  tree  which  should  be  kept  out  of  sight  as 
much  as  possible  from  the  ornamental  part  of  one’s  grounds. 
Peach  trees  should  be  planted  about  twenty  feet  apart  in  orchards ; 
but  in  fruit  gardens  we  recommend  planting  them  in  rows  with 
standard  pears  (where  the  latter  are  not  nearer  to  each  other  than 
twenty  feet),  and  by  keeping  them  well  headed  back,  they  may  not 
be  in  the  way  of  the  pear  trees  for  ten  of  twelve  years,  and  then  . 
may  be  cut  away  to  let  the  pear  trees  occupy  the  whole  space. 

The  greatest  enemy  of  the  peach-tree  is  a white  grub,  which 
infests  the  neck  of  the  tree  at  its  intersection  with  the  ground,  and 
sometimes  the  crotches  higher  up.  No  tree  should  be  planted 
which  has  had  these  pests  in  them.  Their  presence  may  be  known 
by  an  exudation  of  gum.  In  trees  already  planted  they  can  only 
be  got  out  by  carefully  cleaning  away  the  gum,  and  probing  and 
cutting  with  a knife  until  the  worms  are  all  out.  A small  conical 
mound  of  unleached  ashes  should  then  be  put  around  the  trunk 
of  each  tree,  first  removing  the  earth  near  the  trunk  down  to  the 
divergence  of  the  main  roots.  Examinations  for  these  worms 
should  be  made  every  April  and  July,  and  a fresh  cone  of  ashes 
should  be  made  around  the  collar  of  the  tree  at  these  times. 

The  peach  tree  is  not  entirely  hardy,  as  its  blossom-buds  are 
frequently  killed  in  winter  by  sudden  changes  and  excessive  cold, 
and  the  blossoms  by  frosts  in  the  spring  when  they  have  expanded. 

A fruit  so  pre-eminently  delicious,  and  easy  to  grow,  will  richly 
repay  the  care  required  to  guard  against  these  winter  calamities. 
Experience  has  proved  that  banking  with  earth  around  the 
trunk,  and  mulching  as  far  as  the  roots  extend,,  aids  the  tree  ma- 
terially to  resist  the  damaging  effects  of  sudden  changes ; acting 
like  a warm  blanket  on  animals.  An  additional  and  efficient  pro- 
tection for  the  blossom-buds  and  tender  wood  may  be  made  by 
planting  a strong  red  cedar-post,  twelve  feet  long,  four  feet  deep,  in 
the  spot  where  the  tree  is  to  be  planted.  In  November,  when  the 
tree  is  old  enough  to  bear  fruit,  the  branches  which  are  nearest  to 
each  other  should  be  drawn  together  carefully,  and  bound  with 
straw,  like  nurserymen’s  bundles.  The  several  bundles  of  branches 
should  then  be  brought  as  closely  together  as  may  be  without 


446 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


breaking  them,  and  all  securely  tied  to  the  central  post.  Figs.  53, 
54)  55)  on  Page  273>  show  the  manner  of  protection  suggested. 
Without  some  strong  fixture  to  which  to  secure  these  bundles,  the 
weight  of  ice  and  snow  upon  them  in  winter,  and  the  action  of  the 
wind,  would  break  the  trees  to  pieces.  A substitute  for  such  a 
centre-post  could  be  effected  by  driving  three  or  four  high  strong 
stakes  around  the  tree,  and  lashing  the  bundled  branches  by  inter- 
secting cords  from  one  stake  to  another,  so  that  the  winds  could 
not  break  them.  Planting  a cedar-post  with  the  tree  is,  however, 
the  best  and  simplest  way  of  providing  for  this  mode  of  winter  pro- 
tection. Trees  that  are  loaded  with  vigorous  blossom-buds  when 
winter  is  entirely  over,  will  very  rarely  have  so  many  of  the  blos- 
soms killed  by  frosts  during  the  blossoming  as  to  materially  injure 
the  crop. 

The  following  ten  varieties  will  afford  a succession  of  the  best 
fruit  through  the  peach  season  : Haine’s  Early,  large  early  York, 
George  the  IV.,  Crawford’s  early  Melocoton,  Morris  White,  Old- 
mixon  freestone,  Yellow  rare-ripe,  Nivette,  Red-cheek  Melocoton, 
Crawford’s  late  Melocoton. 


THE  APRICOT.  Armeniaca  vulgaris. 

A native  of  Asiatic  mountains  in  the  temperate  zone.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  value  of  its  fruit,  the  apricot  has  the  merit  of  being  the 
earliest  fruit-tree  in  flower.  Its  buds,  before  they  expand,  show  a 
brilliant  scarlet,  and,  when  fully  expanded  early  in  April,  are  white, 
tinged  with  pink.  The  leaves  resemble  in  form  those  of  the  apple 
tree,  but  are  more  wavy  and  glossy,  and  perhaps  darker  colored. 
The  bark  is  also  dark,  like  that  of  the  plum  tree.  The  growth  of 
the  tree  is  rapid,  and  it  assumes  more  quickly  than  other  trees,  in 
proportion  to  size,  a broad  massive  appearance.  This  quality  of  its 
form  gives  it  an  expression  similar  to  that  of  old  apple  trees  at  a 
much  earlier  age  than  the  latter  acquire  the  same  expression.  It 
is,  therefore,  one  of  the  most  ornamental  of  fruit  trees,  not  only  by 
its  luxuriant  growth,  when  first  planted,  in  which  respect  the  peach 
is  quite  its  equal,  but  by  the  substantial  strength  and  durability  of 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


447 


its  spreading  branches,  and  the  permanence  of  its  form,  in  which 
the  peach  tree  is  sadly  deficient. 

For  fruit  the  varieties  known  as  Dubois’  Golden  Peach,  Moor- 
park, and  Breda,  are  highly  esteemed,  and  the  latter  is  noted  for  the 
beauty  of  its  leaves  and  growth.  The  apricot,  having  a smooth 
skin  like  the  plum,  is  also  subject  to  the  attacks  of  the  curculio,  but 
not  to  so  great  an  extent ; and  the  objections  to  having  plum  trees 
on  a lawn,  will  apply  with  less  force  to  the  apricot,  while  its  su- 
perior dignity  of  form  as  a low  tree  will  entitle  it  to  room  that 
ought  not  to  be  given  to  the  former.  The  common  apricot  grows 
to  nearly  the  same  dimensions  as  the  apple  tree. 

The  Siberian  Apricot,  A.  siberica , is  a smaller  variety  than 
the  above,  bearing  about  the  same  relation  to  it  that  the  crab  does 
to  the  apple  tree.  Formerly  much  cultivated  in  England  for  its 
very  early  blossoms,  but  of  less  value  in  most  respects  than  the 
cultivated  sorts. 


THE  PLUM  TREE.  Prunus. 

Although  the  fruit-bearing  plum  trees  are  occasionally  very 
pretty,  they  have  not  such  beauty  as  to  recommend  their  culti- 
vation for  ornament  alone.  And  as  the  fruit  is  more  uncertain  in 
most  parts  of  the  country  than  that  of  other  fruit  trees,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  ravages  of  the  insect  curculio,  which  punctures  the 
green  fruit,  causing  it  to  drop  prematurely,  and  thus  not  only  de- 
stroys the  crop,  but  covers  the  ground  under  the  tree  by  the  falling 
of  the  unripe  and  decaying  fruit.  Other  fruit  trees  will  yield  a better 
return  for  the  space  they  occupy  and  the  attention  they  require. 

The  Chinese  Double-flowering  Plum.  Prunus  sinensis. — 
A small  shrub  but  recently  introduced  into  this  country,  which  has 
already  become  a great  favorite,  and  will  probably  prove  superior 
to  the  old  flowering  almond,  blooming  at  the  same  time,  in  April 
and  May.  Flowers  semi-double,  red  above,  and  white  underneath, 
profusely  covering  the  branches. 


448 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


THE  AMERICAN  HORNBEAM.  Carpinus  americana. 

A small  tree  with  wiry  branches  and  dark-colored  bark,  resem- 
bling the  beech  somewhat  in  its  mode  of  growth,  but  thinner  in 
foliage  and  more  irregular  in  form.  Height  fifteen  to  twenty-five 
feet.  It  has  been  recommended  to  plant  for  screens,  but  we 
have  perceived  no  peculiar  beauty  or  advantage  it  has  for  that 
purpose  ; but  it  occasionally  develops  into  a pretty  isolated  tree,  of 
airy  outline. 

The  English  Hornbeam,  C.  betula,  is  a larger  tree  than  ours, 
with  the  same  general  character. 

The  Iron-wood  or  Hop  Hornbeam,  Ostrya  virginica , is  a 
small  native  tree,  remarkable  for  the  extreme  hardness  and  weight 
of  its  wood,  but  of  no  peculiar  beauty.  It  grows  slowly,  and  forms 
a compact  little  tree,  with  small  dark  leaves.  Its  bark  is  known  at 
a glance  by  the  extreme  fineness  of  its  furrows.  Height  fifteen  to 
twenty-five  feet. 


THE  LABURNUM.  Cytissus. 

In  England  and  Scotland  few  small  trees  are  more  planted  in 
ornamental  grounds  than  the  laburnum ; but  our  climate  does  not 
seem  to  suit  them,  so  that  although  long  cultivated  in  the  older 
parts  of  the  country,  a fine  specimen  is  rarely  seen. 

The  Common  Laburnum  or  Golden  Chain,  C.  laburnum,  is 
a low  tree  or  big  bush  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high,  of  irregular 
outline.  The  flowers  are  in  pendant  racemes  six  inches  long,  of  a 
bright  yellow  color,  and  appear  in  May.  The  leaves  are  alternate, 
and  composed  of  three  oval-acute  leaflets  two  to  three  inches  in 
length.  Young  wood  green.  Decaying  leaves  yellow.  The  seeds 
are  contained  in  pendulous  pods. 

The  Weeping  Laburnum,  C.  1.  pendula , of  this  species,  is  not 
sufficiently  hardy  and  vigorous  to  be  desirable. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


449 


The  Scotch  Laburnum,  C.  alpitia , is  considered  a hardier  and 
finer  species  than  the  preceding,  but  is  closely  allied  to  it  in  most 
respects.  “ The  shape  of  the  head  is  irregular  and  picturesque  ; its 
foliage  is  of  a smooth  shining  and  beautiful  green  ; and  it  is  not 
liable  to  be  preyed  on  by  insects.  Though  the  laburnum  will  grow 
in  a very  indifferent  soil,  it  requires  a deep  fertile  sandy  loam  to 
attain  a large  size.  As  the  tree  puts  out  few  horizontal  roots,  and 
has  rather  a spreading  head,  when  it  grows  rapidly  it  is  apt  to  be 
blown  aside  by  high  winds.” — (Loudon.)  The  flowers  of  this  spe- 
cies appear  later  than  the  preceding. 

The  Weeping  Scotch  Laburnum,  C.  a.  pendula,  is  highly  val- 
ued for  its  beauty  and  gracefulness  in  England,  but  does  not  suc- 
ceed so  well  in  this  country,  at  least  in  the  northern  States. 

All  the  laburnums  may  be  regarded  as  not  quite  hardy  in  the 
northern  States,  though  rarely  killed  outright  by  the  cold. 


THE  AMELANCHIER.  Amelanchier  vulgaris. 

A low  tree,  with  early  and  numerous  small  flowers,  which  cover 
it  with  white  bloom  about  the  middle  of  April.  In  very  warm 
springs  the  blossoms  appear  the  last  of  March,  a month  before  the 
mass  of  the  fruit  trees  are  in  bloom.  The  leaves  resemble  those  of 
the  pear  tree,  appear  about  the  same  time,  and  change  to  a bright 
yellow  in  autumn.  The  fruit  is  black,  about  the  size  of  a currant, 
and  of  pleasant  flavor.  This  variety  is  a native  of  Europe. 

The  Canadian  Amelanchier  or  Snowy  Mespilus.  A.  botry- 
apium. — This  American  species  is  known  in  northern  woods  as  the 
June  berry  and  wild  pear.  It  becomes  a taller  tree  than  the  fore- 
going— from  thirty  to  forty  feet  high  in  the  woods — fastigiate,  with 
long,  slender,  dark-colored  shoots,  and  dark  bark.  In  leaf  and 
flower  it  strongly  resembles  the  preceding.  The  fruit  is  a dark 
purple  color,  ripe  the  last  of  July,  and  very  agreeable  to  the  taste. 
We  have  not  seen  this  tree  of  mature  growth  in  open  ground,  and 
cannot  therefore  speak  of  its  character  as  an  ornamental  tree  when 
out  of  blossom. 


29 


The  Flowery  Amelanchier.  A.florida. — An  upright  shrub 
or  tree  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in  height.  Flowers  white,  larger 
and  later  than  the  preceding.  May. 


THE  TAMARISK.  Tamarix. 

These  are  straggling,  upright,  sub-evergreen  shrubs,  resembling 
asparagus  plants  in  foliage,  and  grow  in  stools;  that  is  to  say,  they 
send  up  many  sprouts  from  the  intersection  of  the  trunk  and  root. 

The  French  tamarisk,  T.  gallica , the  German,  T.  germanica,  and 
the  African,  T.  africana , are  all  growing  well  in  the  New  York 
Central  Park,  though  killed  back  occasionally  in  part.  Loudon 
speaks  of  them  as  well  adapted  to  thrive  under  sea-breezes,  and 
that  they  require  to  be  planted  in  close  proximity  to  water,  and  in 
a deep  free  soil.  The  exceeding  delicacy  of  their  foliage  attracts 
attention  among  larger-leaved  shrubs,  but  they  are  of  too  careless 
and  unsymmetrical  growth  to  be  used  except  to  break  the  monot- 
ony of  commoner  forms.  The  flowers  are  in  large  loose  spikes,  of 
a delicate  pink  color,  and,  though  small  separately,  are  showy  ; and 
the  bloom  continues  most  of  the  season.  Height  and  breadth  ten 
to  twenty  feet.  In  the  Central  Park  the  French  variety  makes  the 
best  appearance.  We  have  seen  a few  fine  specimens  growing  in 
tree  form  in  city  yards,  and  their  great  singularity  of  foliage  renders 
them  very  attractive  when  they  can  be  grown  in  this  way. 


THE  WYCH  HAZEL.  Hamamelis. 

This  tree  is  rarely  seen  in  cultivated  grounds.  It  has  some- 
thing of  the  style  of  foliage  of  a beech,  though  the  leaves  are  quite 
different  in  form,  being  obovate,  larger,  and  broader,  with  wavy 
edges  and  darker  color.  The  tree  has  the  curious  trait  of  blossom- 
ing profusely  just  before  the  falling  of  its  leaves,  and  the  flowers 
continue  on  the  tree  through  the  winter.  They  are  of  a rich  yellow 
color,  and  very  showy  in  the  mass.  We  have  not  seen  the  Wych 
hazel  developed  in  open  ground,  but  from  specimens  growing  by 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


451 


the  road-side  at  Mount  Desert  Island,  Maine,  would  suppose  it  to 
be  a peculiarly  umbrageous  and  elegant  small  tree.  Height  twenty 
to  thirty  feet. 


THE  ANDROMEDA  OR  SORREL  TREE.  Andromeda 
arbor ea  ( Lyonia  arbor ea  of  Loudon). 

This  is  one  of  the  prettiest  additions  to  our  stock  of  small 
ornamental  trees.  Although  a native  of 
the  States  from  Pennsylvania  to  Florida,  it 
is  scarcely  yet  known  in  most  home- 
grounds.  In  the  southern  States  it  be- 
comes from  forty  to  sixty  feet  high;  in 
England  ten  to  twenty  feet;  probably 
twenty  to  forty  feet  in  the  latitude  of  New 
York.  It  forms  an  umbrella-shaped  top 
with  tapering  branches.  Fig.  152  repre- 
sents its  common  form  from  six  to  eight 
years  after  planting.  The  leaves  resemble  those  of  the  common 
elder  in  form,  color,  and  abundance.  The  flowers  are  in  large 
terminal  panicles  of  many  racemes,  white,  in  June  and  July,  and 
cover  the  head  of  the  tree  in  plumy  profusion.  The  panicles  of 
seeds  that  succeed  them  also  attract  attention  by  the  novelty  of 
their  appearance,  and  their  great  abundance.  The  foliage  turns  to 
a fine  crimson  in  October.  The  name  “ sorrel  tree  ” is  given  to  it 
in  consequence  of  the  pleasant  acidity  of  its  leaves.  Away  from 
the  mild  climate  of  the  seaboard,  in  the  northern  States,  it  should 
be  treated  as  a half-hardy  tree. 


THE  SUMACH.  Rhus. 

The  species  of  this  family  vary  so  widely  that  some  of  them 
would  not  be  supposed  to  have  any  relationship  to  the  others  if 
judged  by  their  general  appearance.  The  purple  fringe  tree,  for 
instance,  with  its  single  clean-cut  leaves,  and  rounded  head,  is  the 


452 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


very  opposite  in  most  respects  of  the  long  compound  serrate-leaved 
and  scraggy  little  sumach  of  the  fields;  and  the  vine  well  known  as 
the  poison  ivy,  Rhus  toxicodendron , which  wreaths  walls  and  trunks 
of  trees  with  its  glossy  foliage,  differs  as  widely  from  both.  The  fol- 
lowing is  by  far  the  most  valuable  of  the  family  for  embellishment ; 

The  Purple  Fringe  Tree  or  Venetian  Sumach.  Rhus 
cotinus. — This  forms  either  a large  shrub  or  small  tree  of  finely 

rounded  outline.  The  leaves  are  pretty 
to  examine  separately  on  account  of  their 
peculiar  fineness  of  texture,  their  pure 
bright  color,  and  their  cleanly-cut  oval 
form  ; and  they  are  borne  in  such  healthy 
abundance  on  every  part  of  the  branches, 
and  break  into  so  finely  rounded  masses, 
that  it  is  very  elegant  even  without  the 
peculiar  flowering  which  gives  its  name.  The  flowers  when  they 
first  appear  in  June,  are  a pale  green  color,  with  a delicate  shade  of 
purple,  in  large  delicately  divided  panicles  projected  beyond  the 
leaves,  and  borne  so  profusely  that  they  seem  like  masses  of  down 
almost  covering  the  shrub,  and  revealing  in  their  openings  the 
bright  green  foliage  below.  These  blossoms  become  more  purplish 
as  they  remain  on  the  tree,  and  finally  change  to  dry  masses  of 
delicate  seed-vessels,  which  are  partly  overgrown  by  the  summer 
growth  of  leaves.  The  latter  hang  on  till  heavy  frosts,  and  occa- 
sionally turn  to  a fine  reddish-yellow.  Both  as  a bush  and  as  a 
tree  it  is  beautiful,  curious,  and  desirable.  There  are  specimens 
near  Philadelphia  with  trunks  eight  inches  in  diameter  three  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  tops  twenty  feet  high  and  broad.  Fig.  153 
shows  the  common  form,  and  appearance  when  in  flower,  of  a 
tree  or  bush  five  or  six  years  planted.  It  requires  a dry  warm 
soil. 

The  Tree  Sumach,  Rhus  typhina , a low,  irregularly  branched, 
flat-topped,  spreading  tree  or  shrub,  with  compound  leaves  from  two 
to  three  feet  long,  composed  of  from  eleven  to  nineteen  leaflets.  The 
leaves  drop  very  early  after  changing  to  a warm  yellow  or  purplish- 
red.  This  is  occasionally  a picturesque  tree ; its  peculiarly  level 
head  and  warm-toned  ailantus-like  leaves  showing  to  best  advan- 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


453 


tage  when  growing  quite  alone.  The  flowers  appear  in  July  and 
August  in  large  spikes  above  the  foilage,  of  a dark-purple  color  on 
male  trees,  and  greenish-yellow  and  purple  on  the  female,  and 
are  followed  by  purplish  seeds  ripe  in  October.  The  leaves 
fall  early,  and  change  to  yellow,  red,  and  purple  before  they  fall. 
Height  from  ten  to  twenty  feet,  with  nearly  equal  breadth  of  top. 

1 he  Gum  Copal  Sumach.  Rhus  copallina. — This  is  the  com- 
mon suckering  species  of  the  fields  which  grows  to  the  height  of 
three  to  seven  feet,  bearing  beautiful  pinnate  leaves  and  compact 
spikes  of  flowers  and  seeds  together,  which  are  of  a bright-red 
color,  covered  with  a sticky  light-purple  bloom  which  has  a most 
pungent  and  agreeable  acidity.  The  leaves  turn  to  a brilliant  crim- 
son in  autumn  and  fall  early.  Its  suckering  habit  unfits  it  for 
pleasure  grounds. 

There  are  many  other  species,  but  of  no  value  for  ornament. 

The  Poison  Ivy,  Rhus  toxicodendron , will  be  mentioned  with 
vines. 


THE  CHIONANTHUS.  Chionanthus. 

I 

Also  known  by  the  names  Snow-flower,  and  Virginia  Fringe- 
tree.  Fig.  154  illustrates  the  best  form  of  the  Chionanthus  virginica. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  elegant  little  trees,  when  in  bloom  in  May  and 
June,  that  can  grace  a lawn.  The  flowers,  like 
snow-white  filaments,  hang  in  loose  racemes 
about  four  inches  long  all  over  the  tree.  Its 
glossy  leaves  resemble  those  of  the  magnolia 
family,  or  perhaps  more  the  unlobed  leaves  of 
the  sassafras,  but  thicker  and  larger.  Height 
from  ten  to  thirty  feet,  according  to  soil  and 
climate.  Loudon  says  it  requires  to  be  grown 
in  a moist  soil  and  sheltered  situation.  We 
have  seen  beautiful  specimens  in  open  ground 
in  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  it  does  well  at  Flushing,  L.  I. ; but  is  too 
tender  for  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Wherever  it  can  be  made  to  endure 
the  winter  without  injury,  and  can  be  shielded  from  winds,  it  will  be 


454 


DECIDUOUS  TREES . 


found  one  of  the  choicest  little  trees  to  plant  near  dwellings.  But 
as  it  belongs  to  a family  of  trees  which  are  generally  tender,  it  will 
be  well  to  avoid  planting  it  where  its  hardiness  will  be  severely 
tested  ; and  to  maintain  its  beauty  and  health  in  the  middle  and 
northern  States,  it  must  certainly  be  well  protected  by  mulching 
the  ground  thoroughly  over  the  roots,  binding  its  stem,  and  bun- 
dling its  top  with  straw  or  evergreens  every  autumn. 

The  varieties  C.  v.  latifolia , C.  v.  aiigustifolia , and  C.  v.  mari- 
tima,  are  little  known  in  northern  nurseries  or  pleasure  grounds. 
The  latter  forms  a full-foliaged  shrub  seven  to  nine  feet  high  in  a 
protected  situation  in\Parson’s  nursery  at  Flushing,  L.  I.  Its  leaves 
are  from  five  to  seven  inches  long,  three  to  four  broad,  thick  as 
velvet,  of  a deep  green  color,  and  of  a waxen  glossiness.  Its  name 
implies  its  love  of  the  seaside.  We  are  not  aware  whether  it  has 
been  tried  in  the  interior. 


THE  SHEPHERDIA.  Shephcrdia. 

The  Buffalo  Berry,  S.  argentea,  is  a small  tree,  native  of  the 
banks  of  the  Missouri  river,  where  it  becomes  a tree  from  twelve 
to  eighteen  feet  in  height,  and  is  known  by  the  several  names  of 
Buffalo-berry,  rabbit-berry,  and  beef-suet  tree.  Flowers  yellow,  in 
April  and  May ; berries  scarlet,  about  the  size  of  the  red  currant, 
of  fine  flavor,  and  “ form  one  continued  cluster  on  every  branch.  ” 


THE  PAW-PAW.  Anona  triloba. 

A small  tree,  native  of  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  and  of  the  States 
southward,  that  bears  a yellow  oval  fruit  two  or  three  inches  long, 
which  is  insipid,  but  eatable.  Flowers  purple,  one  inch  in  diam- 
eter. The  leaves  are  smooth-edged,  of  soft  texture,  wavy,  and  the 
form  of  the  shell-bark  hickory  leaf,  elongated.  Bark  very  smooth, 
and  of  a silver-gray  color.  It  is  grown  in  a protected  situation  in 
the  Central  Park,  but  cannot  be  considered  quite  hardy  north  of 
Washington  and  Cincinnati.  It  requires  a very  rich  soil. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 

SHRUBS  are  distinguished  from  trees  by  having  many  stems 
issuing  near  the  surface  of  the  ground  from  a common 
root,  instead  of  having  all  their  branches  and  foliage  sup- 
ported on  a single  stem.  Among  the  descriptions  of  trees 
in  the  preceding  chapter  are  embraced  many  dwarf  and  shrubby 
sorts  that  should  rank  as  shrubs  ; such,  for  instance,  as  the  dwarf 
white-flowering  horse-chestnut,  the  purple  magnolia,  etc.,  which 
have  been  described  with  trees  in  order  not  to  separate  families,  as 
explained  in  our  remarks  on  the  classification  of  trees  and  shrubs 
in  Chapter  II.  of  Part  II. 

Before  proceeding  with  descriptions,  we  desire  again  to  call  the 
reader’s  attention  to  the  fact,  that  shrubs  which  are  the  most  com- 
monly known,  and  the  cheapest,  are  generally  the  finest,  or  at  least  have 
the  greatest  number  of  desirable  qualities.  Now,  what  are  the  most 
essential  qualities  of  shrubs  for  home  embellishment  ? Before 
answering  this  we  must  demand  what  kind  of  a place  is  to  be 
embellished  ; whether  large  or  small,  isolated  or  connected  with 
others  ; whether  it  is  to  be  laid  out  on  a geometric  plan,  in  a gar- 
denesque  manner,  or  with  more  simple  groupings  in  miniature 


456 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


“ landscape-gardening  ” style  ; and  whether  the  shrubs  are  to  be 
used  in  masses,  or  for  single  specimens.  All  these  considerations 
will  render  one  or  another  shrub  more  desirable  according  to  its 
size  and  form ; and  size  and  form  will,  therefore,  be  the  qualities 
that  must  first  be  considered.  But,  aside  from  the  question  of  size 
alone,  there  are  certain  general  qualities  that  will  apply  to  all 
shrubs  to  make  them  always  more  or  less  desirable  in  well-kept 
places.  The  most  essential  is,  that  the  foliage  be  so  luxuriant  on 
all  parts  as  to  cover  the  branches.  Next,  that  the  leaves  come  out 
early,  and  retain  a good  color  till  hard  frosts.  Third,  that  the 
flowers  be  conspicuous,  of  pure  colors,  and  fragrant.  Fourth,  that, 
while  preserving  a shrubby  character,  they  be  free  from  a suckering 
habit,  by  which  the  ground  or  lawn  for  some  distance  around  the 
collar  of  the  stems  is  annually  incumbered  by  sprouts  from  the 
roots.  Shrubs  which  have  stems  uniting  like  the  branches  of  a 
tree  in  a common  heart  or  trunk,  provided  they  cover  the  ground 
in  a shrubby  manner,  are  likely  to  be  more  graceful,  and  certainly 
neater  and  more  gardenesque  than  those  which  throw  up  suckers 
far  from  the  centre  stems  ; but  there  are  some,  like  the  flowering 
currant,  for  instance,  which  have  this  bad  quality,  and  are  yet  in- 
dispensable for  their  many  other  good  features. 

Now,  if  we  bear  in  mind  these  most  essential  qualities,  and 
look  over  any  good  list  of  shrubs,  to  select  a half  dozen  of  the  best, 
it  will  be  found  that  our  most  common  materials,  such  as  the  lilacs, 
bush-honeysuckles,  syringas,  snow-balls,  deutzias,  and  weigelas,  are 
the  ones  which  approximate  most  nearly  to  perfect  shrubs ; and  we 
shall  find  it  difficult  to  select  another  half  dozen,  no  matter  what 
expense  we  are  willing  to  incur,  that  equal  the  six  species  in 
beauty  of  form,  foliage,  or  bloom , though  single  shrubs  may  be 
named  that  will  excel  some  of  them  in  many  qualities. 

Enthusiastic  amateurs,  as  well  as  professional  gardeners  and 
nurserymen,  hail  with  delight  every  change  and  shade  of  change 
from  old  forms,  not  because  the  new  things  are  any  more  beautiful 
than  the  old,  but  simply  because  they  are  novelties ; and  from 
much  the  same  impulse  that  we  prefer  new  books  to  old  ones,  with- 
out stopping  to  compare  closely  their  intrinsic  merits.  Men  who 
are  constantly  studying  trees  and  shrubs,  learn  to  observe  with  in~ 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


457 


finite  pleasure  all  the  little  variations  of  form  and  shade  that  can 
be  discovered  in  them,  and  appear  to  place  a higher  value  on  a 
single  quality  which  distinguishes  a new  plant  from  all  others,  than 
on  any  combination  of  merits  in  the  old.  We  say  appear  to  do  so  ; 
but,  in  fact,  the  eyes  of  such  lovers  of  trees  and  shrubs  are  like  the 
ears  of  highly  cultivated  musicians,  who  do  not  love  pure  and 
simple  sounds  the  less  because  they  listen  with  more  rapt  and  de- 
lighted attention  to  the  intricate  play  of  new  chords  and  harmonies 
that  may  be  interwoven  with  the  simple  body  of  the  music.  The 
beauty  with  which  we  have  become  quite  familiar,  like  the  warmth 
of  sunlight,  is  felt  without  being  observed ; but  what  is  uncommon 
in  nature  or  art  creates  a sensation  of  excitement,  and  if  it  is  a 
thing  of  beauty,  becomes  an  aesthetic  stimulus.  But  the  love  of 
intricate  melodies,  peculiar  to  highly  cultivated  musicians,  cannot 
be  ingrafted  suddenly  upon  the  greater  number  who  love  simple 
music ; nor  can  the  taste  of  the  cultured  amateur  in  trees  and 
shrubs  be  shared  by  the  great  mass  of  persons  who  admire  sylvan 
nature  only  in  a rudimentary  way. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  several  classes  of  persons  and 
tastes  must  be  provided  for.  First,  those  who  appreciate  only 
the  most  prominent  and  simple  forms  of  vegetable  beauty ; second, 
those  (a  much  smaller  number)  who  have  passed  the  first  stage  of 
observation,  and  whose  eyes  have  become  educated  to  take  in  and 
appreciate  a greater  number  of  features  or  peculiarities  at  once — 
who  have  become  connoisseurs  or  dilettanti  in  natural  objects ; 
third,  those  who  may  be  named  the  artist-eyed  class,  who  value 
sylvan  features  not  so  much  for  any  of  their  beauties  in  detail,  as 
for  those  relations  of  forms  and  play  of  lights  and  shades  and  colors 
which  group  into  what  we  call  pictures.  The  last  class  is  the  one 
which  soonest  learns  to  handle  trees  and  shrubs,  so  as  to  make 
homes  beautiful.  For  the  first  class  it  would  be  absurd  to  describe 
numerous  varieties  of  each  species  of  tree  or  shrub  when  one  or 
two  would  answer  perfectly  their  wants ; but  to  satisfy  the  second 
class,  respectful  mention  must  be  made  of  much  that  is  new  and 
rare.  It  is  by  the  enthusiasm  of  just  such  persons  as  compose  the 
second  class  that  most  of  the  beautiful  trees  and  shrubs,  now  com- 
mon, but  once  rare  or  unknown,  have  been  introduced ; some  from 


458 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


far  countries,  and  more  from  the  wilds  of  our  own  country.  When, 
therefore,  in  the  following  or  the  preceding  descriptions,  there  is 
more  warmth  of  praise  of  some  tree  or  shrub  that  is  little  known 
than  of  some  of  the  beautiful  well-known  sorts,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  we  are  writing  partly  for  a class  who  are  disposed  to 
follow  St.  Paul’s  injunction;  — "‘prove  all  things;  hold  fast  that 
which  is  good.’, 

The  growth  of  shrubs  singly  to  develop  the  greatest  beauty  and 
size  they  can  be  made  to  attain,  will  produce  results  that  few  per- 
sons, even  among  those  familiar  with  shrubs,  are  aware  of.  How 
few  of  those  who  have  seen  tartarian  honeysuckles  all  their  lives, 
have  ever  seen  one  standing  out  alone  in  a rich  soil,  ten  feet  high 
and  fifteen  feet  in  diameter  of  head,  and  arching  to  the  lawn  like  a 
miniature  Connecticut  valley  elm  , yet  this  would  be  a common  size 
and  form  if  this  shrub  were  planted  and  kept  with  the  intention  of 
developing  its  greatest  beauty.  The  common  snow  ball  viburnum 
can  be  grown  much  larger,  probably  sixteen  feet  high,  and  of  much 
greater  breadth  of  branches ; the  latter  bending  to  the  ground  with 
a graceful  sweep  that  the  early  growth  of  the  shrub  does  not  promise. 
The  little  red-fruited  St.  Peterswort  or  Indian  currant,  known  in 
some  localities  as  the  red  waxberry,  which  is  usually  tucked  in  among 
other  shrubs  as  not  important  enough  to  stand  alone,  forms  one  of 
the  most  symmetrical  and  graceful  of  low  shrubs  when  grown  as  a 
single  specimen.  In  short,  among  all  our  commonly  cultivated  and 
well-known  shrubs,  one  is  rarely  found  which  has  had  a fair  chance 
to  develop  all  its  beauty. 

The  difference  between  a forest  grown  oak,  and  the  spreading 
oak  of  an  old  park  is  well  known,  but  the  fact  that  the  same  differ- 
ence obtains  between  shrubs  grown  in  the  mass  or  grown  singly  is 
not  generally  understood. 

There  is  much  difference  in  the  value  of  nursery  plants  for 
growing  good  specimen  shrubs,  depending  on  the  nature  of  their 
roots,  and  the  stockiness  of  the  stems.  Seedlings  generalh'  make 
the  best  roots,  but  as  the  choicest  varieties  of  most  fine  shrubs  do 
not  come  true  from  seed,  the  nurserymen  propagate  them  princi- 
pally by  cuttings  and  layers,  and  the  commoner  varieties  by  suckers. 
Cuttings  generally  have  roots  spreading  pretty  equally  on  all  sides, 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


459 


but  suckers  and  layers  are  apt  to  be  more  imperfect  in  this  respect. 
Fig.  155,  b,  represents  a common  stool  of 
suckers  and  their  roots,  which  may  be 
divided  to  make  several  plants,  each  with  a 
root.  The  single  stems,  rooted  all  around, 
like  the  one  marked  a,  are  much  better 
plants  than  those  with  roots  on  one  side 
only  as  shown  at  c.  It  will  be  seen  at  a glance  that  the 
latter  are  much  more  likely  to  make  lop-sided  shrubs.  Where 
it  is  desired  to  confine  a shrub  to  a single  stem,  a plant  rooted 
like  the  one  at  a is  indispensable ; but  for  those  shrubs  which 
sucker  and  sprout  so  inveterately  that  they  cannot  be  confined 
to  a single  heart  or  trunk,  plants  like  those  shown  at  b and  c 
will  answer  as  well.  In  the  former  case  all  the  buds  that  can  be 
seen  that  would  be  below  the  line  of  ground  surface  after  plant- 
ing should  be  carefully  cut  out.  The  top  should  then  be  encouraged 
to  branch  /ow,  otherwise  suckers  will  spring  from  the  roots  in  spite 
of  all  attempt  to  keep  them  back.  It  is  a common  mistake  of 
those  who  experiment  to  make  tree-like  shrubs,  to  trim  up  the  stems 
from  the  first.  This  at  once  lessens  the  vigor  of  the  stem  just 
where  it  needs  to  be  strengthened.  To  grow  a shrub  on  a single 
trunk,  strong  low  branches  must  be  encouraged,  and  these,  resting 
upon  and  shading  the  ground  around  the  stem  will  usually  lessen 
the  tendency  to  suckers,  which  is  worse  in  many-stemmed  and 
“ trimmed-up  ” shrubs.  The  advantage  of  a central  trunk  for 
some  shrubs  is  not  in  the  sight  of  tall  bare  stems  which  at  once 
destroy  the  shrubby  effect  which  shrubs  are  planted  to  produce, 
but  rather  for  their  greater  neatness  of  appearance,  ease  of  culture, 
and  finer  shadows  under  their  drooping  branches,  than  are  ever 
seen  under  sucker-environed  shrubs.  These  remarks  of  course  apply 
only  to  those  shrubs  which  show  some  aptitude  for  an  arboreous 
habit.  To  attempt  to  grow  currants,  spireas,  and  other  shrubs,  in  a 
tree  form,  will  be  time  and  labor  thrown  away. 


THE  LILAC.  Syringa. 


The  lilac  among  shrubs  in  this  country  is  like  the  maple  among 
trees,  the  most  common  and  the  most  indispensable.  Many  home 
yards  are  made  incongruous  medleys  of  expensive  novelties  in  flow- 
ers and  shrubs  which  might  have  been  more  nobly  adorned  with 
masses  of  well-selected  lilacs  alone.  The  home  of  our  poet  Long- 
fellow, in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  is  a fine  example  of  the  simple  beauty 
of  such  groups ; a few  masses  of  lilacs  and  some  ancient  elms 
being  all  its  sylvan  decoration. 

The  lilac  is  indigenous  in  Persia  and  the  valley  of  the  Danube. 
Some  of  the  species  grow  to  the  height  of  twenty  feet.  The  com- 
mon white,  S.  alia,  and  purple,  S.  vulgaris , and  their  varieties,  are 
stout  upright  growing  shrubs,  usually  higher  than  their  breadth. 
They  may  easily  be  trained  into  tree-form  if  care  is  taken  to  plant 
single  stems  with  well-balanced  roots,  encouraging  them  to  branch 
low,  and  pruning  all  suckers  away  as  soon  as  they  appear.  All  the 
lilacs  tend  to  the  bush  form,  and  except  where  fine  single  speci- 
mens are  desired  for  their  novelty,  it  is  not  advisable  to  meddle 
with  this  tendency,  but  rather  to  encourage  it  by  heading  back  at 
the  top,  so  as  to  keep  the  bottom  of  the  bush  from  growing  scanty- 
foliaged  and  “ scrawny.”  The  lilac  may  be  grafted  on  the  white  ash. 

The  Persian  lilacs,  S.  persica  (called  by  some  Siberian  lilacs), 
have  smaller  leaves,  darker  colored  blossoms,  and  slenderer 
branches  than  the  common  lilac.  We  have  seen  a specimen  in 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


4G1 


Rochester,  N.  Y.,  twelve  feet  high  and  sixteen  feet  or  more  in  di- 
ameter, drooping  on  all  sides  to  the  ground  with  the  weight  of  its 
blossoms.  This,  however,  is  an  unusual  size. 

The  lilac  is  usually  propagated  from  suckers,  which  it  produces 
in  great  abundance,  but  better  trees  or  shrubs  can  probably  be  pro- 
duced by  budding  or  grafting  the  best  varieties  upon  seedling 
plants. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  the  common  and  of  the  Persian 
lilacs  of  distinct  character.  A few  that  are  cordially  recommended 
will  be  named  somewhat  in  the  order  of  their  size,  beginning  with 
the  largest.  The  list  embraces  but  a selection  from  the  large  num- 
ber of  varieties  on  the  nursery  catalogues. 

The  Common  White  Lilac,  Syrmga  alba , is  not  surpassed  by 
any  other  white  variety  in  size  or  beauty  of  foliage  ; but  as  its 
growth  is  upright,  and  it  has  a tendency  to  get  bare  of  leaves  at  the 
bottom,  we  recommend  that  it  be  generally  cultivated  in  tree-form. 
Flowers  white,  beginning  to  end  of  May.  Height  twelve  to  twenty 
feet. 

The  Giant  Lilac.  S.  gigaiitea. — A very  rank  upright  grower, 
with  the  largest  leaves  and  spikes  of  flowers  of  any  of  the  species. 
It  blooms  in  May.  Flowers  a dark  reddish  purple,  in  spikes  from 
nine  to  twelve  inches  long,  and  eight  inches  broad.  Its  leaves  re- 
tain a pure  color  later  in  autumn  than  the  other  lilacs.  Height 
twelve  to  twenty  feet. 

Charles  Xth.  S.  carola. — One  of  the  best  to  grow  in  tree- 
form.  The  foliage  and  blossoms  are  both  darker  colored  and 
larger  than  that  of  the  common  lilac,  S.  vulgaris , and  the  growth  a 
little  coarser.  Height  ten  to  fifteen  feet. 

Emodi  Lilac.  S.  emodi. — A Himalayan  variety.  Foliage 
large,  and  among  the  most  glossy  of  the  lilacs.  The  leaves  are 
more  pointed  than  any  other  variety.  Habit  erect,  but  not  so  stiff 
as  many  others,  and  good  for  a tree-form.  Flowers  the  darkest 
purple,  lavender-scented,  and  very  fragrant.  Height  ten  to  twelve 
feet.  There  are  good  specimens  of  this  in  the  New  York  Central 
Park. 

The  S.  coerulea  superba  is  a fine  blue-flowered  variety,  originated 
by  Ellwanger  & Barry,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


462  DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 

The  Common  Purple  Lilac.  S.  vulgaris. — This  is  almost 
too  well  known  to  need  description.  Fig.  157  gives  its  character- 
istic habit  in  four  to  six  years  after  planting,  and 
Fig.  156  shows  the  noble  development  it  makes 
when  allowed  ample  room  for  extension  in  a 
rich  soil.  Its  blossoms  are  the  standard  lilac 
color,  and  when  the  blossoms  of  the  other  pur- 
ple-flowered lilacs  are  described  as  more  or  less 
purple,  the  comparison  is  always  with  this  one. 
Height  ten  to  twelve  feet. 

The  Beautiful  Lilac.  S.  speciosa. — This  is  one  of  the  small- 
est bushes  among  the  lilacs,  of  short  stout  growth,  and  robust  ap- 
pearance. It  forms  a compact  bush,  from  five  to  eight  feet  in 
height.  Flowers  large,  in  compact  spikes,  of  a purplish-red  color. 
One  of  the  best  in  every  respect. 

The  Josika  Lilac.  S.  josikea. — Also  called  the  chionanthus- 
leaved  lilac,  from  the  strong  resemblance  its  leaves  bear  to  those  of 
the  chionanthus.  It  is  quite  different  in  foliage  and  general  appear- 
ance from  the  other  lilacs.  A native  of  Transylvania,  growing  in 
shady  places  near  the  water.  Leaves  of  a waxy  appearance  and 
wavy  surface.  An  upright  grower,  and  will  probably  bear  to  be 
grown  as  a tree.  It  holds  its  foliage  of  good  color  quite  late  in  the 
fall,  and  blooms  one  month  later  than  other  lilacs.  Flowers  deep 
purple  in  June.  Height  ten  to  twelve  feet. 

The  following  old  sorts  are  still  the  most  valuable  of  the  small- 
leaved species  variously  known  as  Persian,  Chinese,  or  Siberian 
lilacs.  Their  growth  is  more  slender  and  less  rigid  than  the  pre- 
ceding. 

The  Persian  White  Lilac.  S.  persica  alba. — This  forms  a 
large  spreading  shrub,  whose  branches  with  age  bend  with  a fine 
curve  so  that  their  tips  touch  the  ground  when  loaded  with  blos- 
soms. Flowers  a delicate  lavender-white  in  May. 

The  Common  Persian  Lilac.  S.  persica. — Same  as  preced- 
ing, except  that  its  flowers  are  a dark  lilac  color.  The  spikes  of 
flowers  are  larger  than  those  of  the  common  large-leaved  lilac,  and 
looser.  Though  the  growth  of  this  species  is  every  way  more  deli- 
cate than  the  common  lilac,  it  forms  at  maturity  a broader  bush. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


463 


The  Rothmag^nsis  Lilac.  S.  rothmagensis . — This  is  probably 
the  finest  of  all  the  lilacs.  It  is  a cross  between  the  S.  vulgaris  and 
S.  persica,  originated  in  Rouen,  France,  more  than  seventy  years 
ago.  In  leaves,  flowers,  and  graceful  habit,  it  most  resembles  its 
Persian  parent,  but  is  more  robust ; and  in  the  size  of  its  panicles 
of  flowers  exceeds  any  of  its  relatives.  These  sometimes  grow 
from  ten  to  sixteen  inches  long,  and  bend  the  branches  to  the 
ground  with  their  abundance.  They  are  a little  later  than  those  of 
the  common  lilac.  May  and  beginning  of  June. 

In  making  a collection  of  six  lilacs  only,  in  addition  to  the 
common  purple,  the  following  might  be  selected  : S.  alba , S.  emodi , 
S.  cxrulea  superba , S.josikea,  S.  rotlwiagensis,  and  S.  persica  alba. 


THE  HONEYSUCKLE.  Lonicera. 

The  honeysuckle  family  is  divided  into 
two  classes,  viz  : those  of  a twining  character, 
or  vines,  and  those  of  a shrubby  character. 

The  latter  are  here  referred  to.  Fig.  158 
gives  the  characteristic  form  of  a well  grown 
honeysuckle  bush  from  six  to  eight  feet  high 
and  broad.  Some  varieties  spread  more  in 
proportion  to  their  height ; all  are  noted  for 
the  small  size  and  delicacy  of  their  leaves,  which  cover  the  branches 
profusely.  Their  flowers  are  small,  but  very  pretty  and  abundant. 

The  Red  Tartarian  Honeysuckle.  L.tartarica. — Old  and 
common,  it  still  takes  a front  rank  among  ornamental  shrubs  ; and 
were  we  to  have  but  one  shrub,  or  but  one  species  of  shrub,  we 
would  probably  choose  the  honeysuckle.  No  shrub  is  earlier  in 
leaf,  and  the  delicacy  of  its  foliage,  its  pure  color,  and  graceful 
luxuriance  of  growth,  would,  without  the  flowers,  make  this  species 
one  of  the  most  desirable  ; but  with  its  delicate,  perfumed,  pink 
bloom  in  May,  it  becomes  altogether  a perfect  shrub.  When  young 
its  form  is  rather  fastigiate,  but  in  a few  years  it  begins  to  spread 
outward,  and  at  maturity,  in  rich  open  ground,  it  becomes  a superb 
spreading  mass,  much  broader  than  its  height,  with  branches  bend' 


Fig.  1 58. 


464 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


ing  on  all  sides  to  the  lawn.  One  may  have  seen  honeysuckle 
bushes  a lifetime  in  shrubbery  borders,  or  neglected  in  the  grass, 
without  knowing  how  graceful  an  object  it  is  when  growing  in  rich 
ground,  quite  alone,  with  the  breadth  and  grace  of  its  maturity. 
The  honeysuckle  holds  its  leaves  late  in  the  fall,  and  occasionally 
they  are  brightly  colored  before  they  drop.  The  berries  in  autumn 
are  yellow  or  pink,  and  ornamental. 

The  White  Tartarian  Honeysuckle.  Z.  /.  alba. — This 
variety  is  of  stronger  growth  than  the  preceding,  becomes  a higher 
bush,  and  may  with  care  be  made  into  a low  tree.  The  flowers 
and  fruit  are  both  white.  The  foliage  is  a little  larger  and  paler 
than  the  red  tartarian,  and  the  bush  does  not  become  so  graceful 
with  age. 

The  Pink-flowering  Honeysuckle.  Z.  /.  grandifolia. — The 
most  vigorpus  grower,  and  the  most  showy  bloomer  of  the  species. 
In  habit  of  growth  it  is  more  like  the  white-flowering  honeysuckle, 
but  attains  still  larger  size,  sometimes  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  high, 
and  may  easily  be  grown  as  a tree  if  forced  to  one  stem  and  allowed 
to  branch  near  the  ground.  Flowers  in  May,  bright  red,  striped 
with  white.  Fruit  red. 

The  Autumn  Honeysuckle.  Z.  t.  fragrantissima. — A low 
and  spreading  variety  four  to  six  feet  high.  Flowers  in  October 
and  November,  small,  not  abundant,  but  exceedingly  fragrant.  The 
foliage  is  larger  than  that  of  most  of  the  honeysuckles,  of  a deep 
green  color,  and  sub-evergreen. 

The  Blue-berried  Honeysuckle.  Z.  cczrulea. — A small  up- 
right growing  shrub,  three  to  four  feet  high.  Flowers  greenish 
yellow,  in  June;  inconspicuous;  berries  blue.  Foliage  very  abund- 
ant and  of  a beautiful  green. 

There  are  many  other  varieties,  but  not  of  such  marked  charac- 
ter as  to  be  interesting  except  in  an  arboretum. 


THE  SYRINGA.  Philadelphus. 

This  old,  vigorous,  and  graceful  shrub  is  still  one  of  the  finest, 
grown  singly  or  in  masses ; and  though  surpassed  in  profusion  of 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


4G5 


bloom  by  the  lilac^  and  other  shrubs,  and  in  delicacy  by  the  deut- 
zias,  its  masses  of  foliage  when  out  of  bloom  are  not  surpassed  by 
any.  The  variety  of  syringas  is  not  large,  and  the  common  sort, 
first  named  below,  is  still  unsurpassed  in  fragrance  of  flowers  and 
beauty  of  foliage  by  the  newer  sorts. 

The  Common  Syringa.  P.  vulgaris. — This  forms  a shrub 
from  eight  to  ten  feet  high,  and  spreads  at  maturity  like  the  head 
of  an  elm.  It  is  early  in  leaf ; the  foliage  is  luxuriant  and  breaks 
into  fine  masses;  the  flowers  in  May  and  June  are  white,  single, 
about  the  size  of  an  apple-blossom,  and  noted  for  their  fragrance. 

The  Double-flowering.  P.  flore plena. — This  forms  a smaller 
bush  than  the  above,  has  semi-double  flowers  at  the  same  time ; 
also  fragrant. 

Zeyher’s  Syringa,  P.  zeyheri , is  noted  for  the  size  it  attains, 
forming  a spreading  bush  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  high,  with  larger  and 
less  abundant  flowers  than  the  preceding,  and  but  slightly  fragrant. 

Gordon’s  Syringa.  P.  Gordonii.  — A large  round-headed 
shrub  eight  to  ten  feet  high,  blooming  a month  or  more  later  than 
the  other  sorts.  Flowers  large,  white,  and  scentless.  Its  slender 
side-shoots  give  it  the  appearance  of  a weeping  habit.  Foliage  a 
bright  green. 

The  Showy-flowered  Syringa.  P.  speciosa  or  grandiflora. — 
A large  bending-branched  shrub,  ten  to  fourteen  feet  high,  bearing 
large  white  scentless  flowers  in  June. 

The  Dwarf  Syringa.  P.  nana. — But  two  to  three  feet  high, 
and  grows  like  a cabbage  with  in-curved  branches.  A shy  bloomer, 
but  a pretty  shrub.  When  syringa  bushes  make  too  long  and  ram- 
bling growth,  they  are  improved  by  heading  back. 


THE  VIBURNUMS.  Viburnum. 

This  family  of  shrubs  embraces  a few  evergreens,  but  is 
best  known  through  its  popular  representative,  the  showy  snow- 
ball viburnum,  or  guelder  rose,  V opidus.  The  foliage  varies 
widely  in  the  different  species.  The  evergreen  species  is  known  as 
the  laurustinus,  V.  tinus  laurifolia , and  has  laurel-like  leaves,  thick 
3° 


4C6 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


and  glossy,  and  in  England  is  considered  one  of  the  most  ornamen- 
tal of  evergreen  shrubs,  “ the  foliage  tufting  in  beautiful  masses, 
and  covered  with  a profusion  of  white  flowers  which  commence 
expanding  in  November,  and  continue  flowering  till  April  or  May.” 
From  the  fact  that  this  species  is  not  grown  in  our  best  nurseries, 
we  infer  that  it  is  too  tender  to  be  grown  in  the  northern  States, 
though  a common  garden-shrub  in  the  south  of  England.  It  forms 
a compact  shrub  from  eight  to  ten  feet  high.  Native  of  the  south 
of  Europe  and  north  of  Africa.  The  viburnum , awefuki,  or  ja- 
ponicum , is  a beautiful  new  Japanese  evergreen  variety  which,  it  was 
formerly  supposed,  would  prove  hardy ; and  the  V.  sinensis , a 
Chinese  evergreen  sort,  was  once  reported  entirely  hardy  in  Eng- 
land. We  have  not  heard  from  either  of  them  in  this  country. 

Snow-ball  Viburnum.  Viburnum  op'ulus . — The  snow-ball,  or 
guelder  rose,  is  a shrub  so  common,  and  so  showy  when  in  bloom, 
that  few,  even  of  towns-people,  are  unfamiliar  with  it.  Its  magnifi- 
cent balls  of  white  flowers,  from  two  to  four  inches  in  diameter, 
appear  about  the  first  of  June,  when  the  lilac  has  done  blooming, 
and  for  showiness  have  no  equals  in  their  time.  The  bush  is  large, 
massy,  and  though  coarse  in  foliage,  spreads  broadly  and  grace- 
fully as  it  grows  old.  They  may  be  grown  in  symmetrical  tree- 
form,  branching  and  bending  on  all  sides  to  the  lawn  with  a wealth 
of  “ snow-balls  ” exceedingly  showy.  Either  as  a bush  or  tree,  it 
requires,  at  maturity,  ten  to  twelve  feet  space  for  its  perfect  develop- 
ment ; and  it  sometimes  attains  a height  and  breadth  of  fifteen  feet. 
The  leaves  in  autumn  assume  bright  warm  colors. 

The  Variegated-Leaved,  V.  o.  foliis  variegati , has  leaves 
variegated  with  white  and  yellow. 

The  Double-flowering,  V.  o.  flore  plena , flowers  double,  but 
no  more  showy  than  the  common  sort. 

The  Dwarfs,  V o . natia  and  V.  pygmcea,  are  very  diminutive 
varieties. 

The  High-bush  Cranberry,  V.  o.  oxycoccus,  a large  coarse 
shrub  or  small  tree,  bearing  a fruit  that  is  eatable,  and  with  leaves 
larger  and  less  deeply  lobed  than  the  common  snow-ball.  Its 
flowers  are  less  showy,  and  a month  later.  Its  fruit  resembles  the 
cranberry,  and  may  be  used  in  the  same  way. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


467- 


The  Lantana, Viburnum,  V.  lantanoides. — The  under-sides  of 
the  leaves  and  branches  covered  with  a white  down.  Flowers 
abundant ; May  and  J une.  Decaying  leaves  a deep  red.  Loudon 
says  that  when  grown  on  a single  stem,  it  becomes  a handsome, 
durable  small  tree  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  height.  A very 
rapid  grower. 

The  American  Lantana  Viburnum,  V lanta?ioides. — Simi- 
lar to  the  above.  Flowers  in  May,  and  holds  its  foliage  very 
late. 

The  Cotinus-leaved  Viburnum,  V cotinifolium , has  foliage 
covered  with  gray  down  on  both  surfaces.  Flowers  small,  bell- 
shaped, tinted  with  pink,  and  in  large  clusters,  in  April  and  May. 
A variety  rare  in  our  nurseries. 

The  Japan  Viburnum,  V.  plicatum , is  a vigorous,  hardy  vari- 
ety, with  rough  dark-purple  tinted  leaves,  and  balls  of  flowers 
slightly  tinted  with  rose  color. 

The  Great-leaved  Viburnum,  V machrophyllum,  is  a variety 
with  very  large  leaves,  said  to  have  “ immense  clusters  of  flowers, 
greatly  more  showy  than  the  old  sort.” 

The  Maple-leaved  Viburnum,  V acerifoliuvi , is  a pretty 
native  shrub  from  four  to  six  feet  high,  with  umbellate  clusters  of 
white  flowers,  less  showy  than  those  of  the  common  snow-ball. 

The  Pliant-branched  Viburnum,  V.  kfitago , an  indigenous 
variety  that  forms  a robust  shrub,  or  low  tree,  from  six  to  ten  feet 
high,  bearing  large  umbrels  of  small  white  flowers  in  July.  De- 
caying leaves  purple,  red  and  yellow.  Naked  young  wood  yellow- 
ish and  reddish-green.  Fruit  black,  in  September. 

The  Plum-tree-leaved  Viburnum.  V.  prunifolium. — The 
foliage  of  this  variety  resembles  that  of  both  the  pear  and  the 
plum  tree,  and  is  less  luxuriant  than  many  other  varieties.  It 
flowers  profusely  in  May  and  June.  Fruit  dark  blue  ; ripe  in  Sep- 
tember. Height  eight  to  ten  feet.  Growth  rather  thin  and  strag- 
ling. 

The  Pear-tree-leaved  Viburnum,  V.  pyrifolium , resembles 
the  preceding,  but  of  less  straggling  growth.  Fruit  black ; Sep- 
tember. 

The  Tooth-leaved  Viburnum  or  Arrow-wood,  V dentatum 


* 468 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


— This  variety  has  poplar-shaped  leaves,  of  a light  clear  green 
color  ; globular  clusters  of  small  white  flowers  in  June  and  July, 
and  small,  round,  dark-blue  fruit.  Height  four  to  six  feet.  It  is  a 
lively-toned,  well-leaved  shrub,  in  the  New  York  Central  Park. 

The  Downy  Viburnum,  V.  pubescens. — A downy-leaved  south- 
ern shrub.  Height  three  feet.  Flowers  white  ; June  and  July. 


Fig.  159. 


THE  WEIGELA.  Weigela. 

This  noble  shrub,  which  was  introduced  from  Japan  as  late  as 
1843,  has  already  found  a place  in  most  home-grounds  from  Maine 
to  California.  Its  robust  habit,  profuse  bloom,  and  easy  culture, 
have  combined  to  rank  it  in  popular  estimation  with  those  dear 
old  shrubs  the  lilacs  and  the  honeysuckles.  The  foliage  is,  how- 
ever, less  smooth  and  elegant,  and  more  allied  to  that  of  the  syrin- 
gas  and  deutzias ; and  like  these  shrubs,  the  bushes  as  they  grow 
old  break  into  fine  masses  of  light  and  shade.  Most  of  the  weige- 
las  are  erect  when  young,  but  form  graceful,  bending,  wide-spread- 
ing bushes  when  old,  where  they  have  room  for  expansion.  The 
varieties  are  increasing  rapidly  in  number,  and  though  June  and 

July  are  their  natural  blooming  season 
at  the  north,  sporting  plants  are  being 
propagated  which  will  add  greatly  to  the 
length  of  their  blooming  time  and  the 
variety  of  their  colors.  The  following 
are  among  the  best  sorts : 

The  Rose  Weigela.  W.  rosea. — The  original  species.  Fig. 

159  shows  the  characteristic  form  of  a bush  four  or  five  years 


Fig.  160. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


469 


planted,  and  Fig.  160  the  leaves.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  latter  vary 
greatly  in  appearance.  The  upright  twig  shows  the  growth  and 
appearance  of  the  leaves  on  the  top  of  the  bush,  and  the  horizontal 
twigs  their  appearance  on  the  lower  branches,  which  are  shaded. 
Placing  the  two  side  by  side,  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  they  are 
from  the  same  bush,  so  entirely  do  they  differ  in  all  respects.  The 
leaves  growing  in  partial  shade  are  of  finer  texture  and  more 
glossy  than  those  on  the  top,  but  the  finest  formed  bushes  are 
grown  in  the  most  open  locations.  The  leaves  appear  a little  later 
than  these  of  the  lilac,  are  of  a warm-toned  green,  keep  their 
color  well  through  the  summer,  hang  on  till  late,  and  turn  to  a 
purplish-red  before  they  fall.  Buds  a bright  red  ; flowers  quite 
large,  bell-shaped  j pink  ; June  or  July.  Height  and  breadth  from 
seven  to  ten  feet. 

The  Desbois  Weigela,  W.  Dcsboisii. — Of  ranker  growth 
than  the  preceding.  Foliage  dark,  rough,  and  coarse,  but  showy. 
Form  more  upright  than  the  W \ rosea;  may  probably  be  grown  as 
a low  tree.  Flowers  blood  red  and  abundant.  June  and  July. 
One  of  the  most  showy  of  shrubs.  Height  eight  to  twelve  feet. 

The  Lovely  Weigela.  W.  ambbi/is. — This  is  the  largest  of 
the  weigelas,  and  is  looser  and  more  spreading  in  its  habit  than 
the  others,  Foliage  large  and  coarse.  Flowers  a deep  red,  in 
June,  and  then  flowering  freely  again  in  September.  This  can  also 
be  grown  to  advantage  on  a single  stem  in  tree-form.  Height 
twelve  to  fifteen  feet. 

The  White-flowered  Weigela,  JV<  hortensis  nivea , is  a new 
variety7,  with  large  white  flowers,  borne  in  profusion  in  June  and 
July,  and  retain  their  pure  color  a long  time.  Growth  vigorous  and 
spreading.  Leaves  light  green,  large,  and  deeply  veined.  Height 
six  to  eight  feet. 

The  Variegated-leaved  Weigela.  W.  variegata. — Some- 
what dwarfish  compared  with  the  others,  and  spreading.  Leaves 
mottled  with  yellow,  so  as  to  make  a good  contrast  among  dark- 
leaved shrubs.  Flowers  pink,  in  June  and  July.  Height  four  to 
six  feet. 

There  are  some  other  fine  varieties,  but  the  above  will  give  the 
species  a good  representation. 


470 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


THE  DEUTZIA.  Deutzia. 

Another  species  of  beautiful  flowering  shrubs  for  which  we  are 
indebted  to  Japan.  It  belongs  to  the  same  family  as  the  common 
syringa,  is  similar  in  growth  and  foliage,  but  its  style  of  bloom  is 
more  graceful.  The  different  varieties  are  among  the  most  charm 
ing  late  acquisitions  to  shrubberies,  and  already  take  rank  with 
lilacs,  honeysuckles,  and  weigelas.  The  leaves  are  simple,  serrated, 
and  opposite,  about  the  size  of  syringa  leaves,  of  coarse -surface, 
and  without  gloss ; they  appear  later  than  those  of  the  lilac,  or 
about  with  the  IVeigela  rosea , which  the  deutzias  also  resemble  in 
growth,  though  a little  less  spreading.  The  flowers,  in  most  varie- 
ties, pure  white,  appear  in  June,  in  pendulous  little  panicles  or 
racemes  from  two  to  four  inches  in  length.  Either  on  or  off  the 
bush  they  are  very  graceful. 

The  Rough-leaved  Deutzia,  D.  scabra , is  the  variety  most 
largely  disseminated,  and  the  coarsest  and  most  robust  grower.  It 
becomes  a spreading  bush  from  eight  to  twelve  feet  in  height  and 
breadth. 

The  Crenate-leaved  Deutzia,  D.  crenata,  differs  principally 
from  the  foregoing  in  having  a less  rank  and  more  graceful  habit. 

The  Double  White-flowering  Crenate  Deutzia,  D.  crenata 
flore plena , differs  in  having  double  flowers  in  greater  abundance. 

The  Pink-flowering  Double  Deutzia,  D . rubra  flo?'e  plena , 
is  similar  to  the  preceding  in  habit  of  growth,  and  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  all  in  bloom.  This,  and  the  double-white,  are  the  finest  large 
sorts,  and  should  be  planted  near  together,  where  the  colors  will  be 
contrasted  during  their  profuse  blossoming. 

The  Graceful  Deutzia.  D.  gracilis. — This  is  the  smallest 
variety  and  the  greatest  favorite.  It  is  equally  at  home  in  the 
green-house  or  in  open  ground,  as  it  is  readily  forced  into  winter 
bloom.  Its  flowers  are  white,  in  slender  little  racemes,  in  June. 
On  the  bush,  in  bouquets,  or  wreathed  with  other  flowers,  the  blos- 
soms of  the  Deutzia  gracilis  are  equally  graceful.  We  remember  no 
church  decoration  so  charming  as  the  wreathing  and  bordering  of 
the  pulpit  and  altar  of  a chapel  in  Brookline,  Mass.,  decorated 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


471 


almost  exclusively  with  the  pendant  racemes  of  this  variety  mingled 
with  green  leaves.  The  form  of  the  shrub,  when  young,  is  rather 
stiffly  upright,  but  in  time  it  spreads  into  a graceful  little  bush,  from 
three  to  four  feet  in  height  and  breadth. 


THE  ALTHEA.  Hibiscus  syriacus. 


Fig.  1 6 1 shows  the  common  form  of  the  althea, 
which  is  usually  quite  fastigiate,  broadest  at  the  top, 
and  often  bare  of  leaves  below ; but  it  oftenest  forms 
a head  on  a bundle  of  stems  growing  from  the  trunk 
near  the  ground,  rather  than  with  so  tree-like  a trunk 
as  the  illustration  shows.  It  is  one  of  the  longest 
known  and  commonest  of  garden  shrubs,  and  forms 
a good  centre  for  a group  of  lower  shrubs,  and  is 
useful  in  belts  of  shrubbery  where  its  high  top  and  showy  blossoms 
may  be  seen  over  the  tops  of  more  graceful  and  lower  shrubs  in 
front.  Blooming  in  August  and  September  when  most  shrubs  are 
done  flowering,  and  with  flowers  of  large  size  and  many  colors,  it 
will  always  be  found  quite  useful  and  showy  in  pleasure-grounds, 
though  the  flowers  are  of  coarse  texture,  and  not  fragrant.  They 
are  from  three  to  four  inches  in  diameter,  both  single  and  double. 
Purple  is  the  prevailing  color,  but  nearly  all  the  bright  colors  are 
represented  by  the  finest  varieties.  The  leaves  appear  later  than 
those  of  most  shrubs,  but  are  of  a pleasing  green  color.  The  althea 
has  been  considerably  used  for  hedges,  but  its  lateness  in  spring 
renders  it  less  desirable  than  the  privet  and  many  other  deciduous 
shrubs  j and  its  inferiority  to  some  of  the  evergreens  for  this  pur- 
pose is  manifest.  The  following  are  some  of  the  best  varieties  : 
The  Single  and  the  Double  White,  Double  Red,  Double  Blue, 
Pheasant-eyed,  White-striped,  the  elegatitissima,  and  the  Variegated 
leaved.  The  latter  is  one  of  the  finest  of  variegated-leaved  shrubs. 
Some  of  the  most  showy  varieties  of  the  althea  are  not  quite  hardy 
in  the  coldest  parts  of  our  country,  and  to  insure  their  greatest 
beauty  in  summer  must  be  planted  in  sheltered  situations,  or  pro- 
tected by  mulching  and  bundling. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


m 


THE  DWARF  ALMOND.  Amygdalus  nana. 

“ Blossoms  of  the  almond  trees, 

April’s  gifts  to  April’s  bees.” 

A small  shrub  of  the  nut-bearing  almond  family,  bearing  in 
March  or  April  an  abundance  of  small  double  rose-like  flowers, 
closely  set  upon  the  twigs,  before  the  appearance  of  the  leaf.  The 
latter  is  similar  to  the  leaf  of  the  peach  tree.  Height  from  two  to 
six  feet.  It  is  not  perfectly  hardy,  and  to  grow  and  bloom  to  the 
best  advantage  at  the  north,  it  should  have  a dry  warm  soil,  the 
ground  around  it  mulched  in  the  fall,  the  annual  growth  partly  cut 
back  every  summer,  and  the  suckers  allowed  to  renew  the  bush  by 
fresh  wood.  It  is  one  of  the  most  common  of  early  flowering  spring 
shrubs,  but  rarely  makes  a handsome  bush  when  out  of  bloom. 

There  is  a variety,  A.  pumila  alba , with  white  flowers ; also  a 
Siberian  variety  described  as  follows : 

A.  n.  siberica.  “ An  upright  shrub,  about  six  feet  high,  with 
wand-like  shoots,  clothed  with  fine  long,  willow-like,  glossy,  serrate 
leaves ; on  account  of  which,  and  its  upright  habit  of  growth,  dif- 
ferent from  all  the  other  varieties,  it  is  valuable  ” (Loudon).  Flowers 
rather  larger  than  the  common  sort. 

The  dwarf  almonds  may  be  budded  on  the  common  peach 
or  plum  tree  stocks. 


THE  AMORPHA,  OR  BASTARD  INDIGO.  Amorpha. 

A family  of  large  spreading  shrubs,  from  six  to  eight  feet  high, 
natives  of  our  continent.  The  leaves  are  compound,  with  many 
pairs  of  small  leaflets,  resembling  those  of  the  locusts.  The  flowers 
are  disposed  in  long  spikes  or  panicles  on  the  tops  of  the  branches, 
and  though  “ small  separately,  and  imperfect  in  form,  are  yet  rich 
from  their  number,  and  their  colors  of  purple  and  violet  spangled 
with  a golden  yellow.  The  plants  are  not  of  long  duration ; and 
are  liable  to  be  broken  by  wind ; for  which  reason  they  ought  al- 
ways to  be  planted  in  a sheltered  situation.  They  produce  an  abun- 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


473 


dance  of  suckers,  from  which,  and  from  cuttings,  they  are  readily 
propagated.”  The  following  are  some  of  the  varieties  : 

Amorpha  fruticosa. — The  shrubby  amorpha  or  wild  indigo.  A 
native  of  Carolina  and  Florida.  Height  nine  to  twelve  feet.  Flow- 
ers a dark  bluish-purple,  in  June  and  July. 

A.  glabra. — The  glabrous  amorpha.  A low  shrub  three  to  six 
feet  high.  Flowers  bluish-purple  in  July  and  August. 

A.  nana. — The  dwarf  amorpha.  Native  of  Missouri.  Height 
one  to  two  feet.  Flowers  purple,  fragrant. 

A . fragrans.  The  sweet  amorpha.  A hairy  shrub.  Height 
seven  to  eight  feet.  Flowers  dark  purple.  June  and  July. 

A.  croceolanata. — Saffron  woolly  amorpha.  Plant  covered  with 
short  soft  hairs.  Racemes  branched.  Height  three  to  five  feet. 
Flowers  purple  or  purplish-blue.  July  and  August. 

A.  canescens.  — White  haired  amorpha.  Height  three  feet. 
Flowers  dark  blue.  July  and  August. 


THE  DECIDUOUS  ANDROMEDAS.  Lyonia  {Andromeda). 

The  andromedas  have  been  represented  in  the  chapter  on  trees 
by  the  larger  deciduous  species ; and  in  the  chapter  on  evergreen 
trees  and  shrubs,  the  evergreen  species  will  be  mentioned. 

The  following  are  the  shrubby  deciduous  species : 

The  L.  racemosa. — A graceful  shrub  growing  wild  in  southern 
swamps,  bearing  short  racemes  of  small,  white,  fragrant,  jar-shaped 
flowers,  in  June  and  July.  Height  three  to  four  feet. 

The  L.  mariana  is  a dwarf  species  found  wild  from  New  Eng- 
land to  Florida,  and  bears  pretty  little  racemes  of  small  white 
flowers,  tinged  with  pink,  from  May  to  August. 

The  L.  paniculata , is  a Canadian  species  three  to  four  feet  high, 
little  known.  The  L.  salicifolia  or  willow-leaved,  is  distinguished 
for  fine  glossy  foliage.  The  Z.  f rondos  a,  L.  multiflora , L.  capreafolia, 
are  small  shrubs,  whose  qualities  in  cultivated  grounds  are  not 
well  known. 


m 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


THE  ARALIA.  Aralia. 

Otherwise  known  as  the  angelica  tree  and  Hercules  club.  The 
stout,  club-like,  and  prickly  annual  canes  of  this  curious  shrub 
make  the  latter  name  not  inappropriate.  It  has  a partly  perennial 
character,  the  canes  usually  dying  to  near  the  ground,  like  the 
raspberry,  at  the  end  of  the  year,  and  renewing  themselves  an- 
nually. These  grow  quickly  to  the  height  of  eight  to  twelve  feet, 
and  bear  immense  doubly-compound  leaves  which  form  into  an 
umbrella-like  head  of  picturesque  luxuriance.  We  have  seen  it 
established  as  a tree,  with  a trunk  six  or  seven  inches  in  diameter ; 
and  grown  in  this  way,  it  has  an  unusually  distinctive  character  ; 
but  it  does  not  often  make  for  itself  a good  trunk,  and  is  oftener 
not  quite  a tree,  nor  yet  a shrub.  Flowers  in  large,  loose  panicles, 
greenish-white,  in  August  and  September.  Height  ten  to  twenty 
feet. 

There  is  a Japanese  species,  A.  japonica,  that  is  smaller,  and 
has  not,  it  is  believed,  been  introduced  in  American  gardens. 


THE  AZALEA.  Azalea. 

A deciduous  shrub  of  the  rhododendron  family,  natives  of  both 
hemispheres.  The  species  vary  in  height  from  six  inches  to  fifteen 
feet.  The  following  are  a few  of  them  : 

Azalea  poiitica,  a native  of  the  eastern  borders  of  the  Medi- 
terranean. Height  four  to  six  feet.  Flowers  yellow ; in  May  and 
June.  “There  are  a great  number  of  varieties  of  this  species  in 
the  gardens,  differing  principally  in  the  color  of  their  flowers  and  the 
hue  of  their  leaves.  The  flowers  of  the  species  are  of  a fine  bright 
yellow ; but  those  of  the  varieties  are  of  all  shades,  from  yellow  to 
copper  or  orange  color ; and  they  are  sometimes  of  a pure  white, 
or  of  white  striped  with  yellow  and  red.  Besides,  as  this  species 
seeds  freely,  and  is  easily  cross-fecundated  with  the  North  Ameri- 
can species,  an  immense  number  of  varieties  of  it  have  been 
originated  in  British  and  Continental  gardens”  (Loudon).  Some 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


475 


of  these  varieties  may  be  found  in  the  catalogues  of  our  principal 
nurseries. 

Azalea  nudijlora. — Upright  American  honeysuckle  ; natives  of 
hilly  or  mountainous  parts  of  the  United  States.  Leaves  lanceo- 
late-oblong, nearly  smooth,  and  green  on  both  surfaces.  Flowers 
scarlet,  pink,  white,  striped,  variegated,  red,  and  purple ; and  dis- 
posed in  terminal  clustered  racemes,  appearing  before  the  leaves ; 
April  to  June.  Height  three  to  four  feet.  The  wild  varieties  are 
numerous,  and  have  been  superseded  in  cultivation  by  new  varieties. 

Azalea  viscosum.  Flowers  produced  in  terminal  clusters  ; leafy 
and  hairy ; white  and  sweet-scented  ; June,  July  and  August.  The 
varieties  and  hybrids  produced  by  cultivation  from  this  species,  are 
as  numerous  as  those  of  the  preceding  species.  Height  two  to 
fifteen  feet. 

Azalea  speciosa. — The  showy  azalea.  Flowers  scarlet;  June 
and  July.  Height  two  to  six  feet.  A native  of  our  country. 

Azalea  arborescens. — The  tree-like  azalea.  Height  ten  to  fifteen 
feet.  Flowers  rose-colored;  June  and  July.  Leaves  glossy  on 
both  sides ; long  oval,  with  obtuse  end.  Pursh,  a distinguished 
botanist,  says  it  forms,  with  its  elegant  foliage  and  large,  abundant, 
rose-colored  flowers,  the  finest  ornamental  shrub  he  knows. 

The  following  is  a list  of  a few  hardy- bedding  azaleas,  recom- 
mended by  Mr.  J.  R.  Strumpe,  of  the  Parsons’  nursery  at  Flush- 
ing, one  of  the  most  skillful  cultivators  of  the  azalea  and  the 
rhododendron  in  this  country : 

A.  parmicellata  stellata,  straw-color  and  salmon.  A.  elegantissima , 
pink;  late.  A.  calendulacea  flamula , scarlet.  A.  calendulacea  coc- 
cinea,  orange  scarlet.  A.  visocephalum , white  and  very  fragrant. 
A.  coccinea , scarlet.  A.  bicolor , orange,  yellow  and  white  ; superb. 
A.  ne  plus  ultra. 

These  are  mostly  hybrids,  produced  by  skillful  cultivation.  A 
soil  composed  largely  of  leaf  mould,  with  the  roots  somewhat  pro- 
tected from  the  sun,  is  considered  desirable  for  the  azalea.  It  is  a 
species  of  shrub  that  requires  much  attention,  and  not  noted  for 
the  abundance  of  its  foliage  when  out  of  bloom.  Those  who  have 
green-houses  find  the  azalea  one  of  the  most  available  of  bedding- 
out  shrubs,  but  with  common  culture  it  is  not  so  valuable. 


476 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


THE  BUDDLEA.  Buddlea. 

Some  varieties  of  this  Chilian  shrub  have  been  tried  in  open 
ground  near  New  York,  and  the  Buddlea  Lindleyana  is  advertised 
by  some  of  our  leading  nursery-men.  The  genus  is  not  considered 
hardy  in  England,  and  is  not  likely  to  be  in  the  northern  States. 

The  Globe-flowered  Buddlea,  B.  globosa , in  Chili,  is  a large 
spreading  shrub,  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  high,  with  small  balls  of 
bright  yellow  flowers  and  long  lanceolate  opposite  leaves,  growing 
at  right  angles  with  their  twigs,  to  which  they  are  attached. 


THE  BUTTONWOOD.  Cephalanthus. 

This  is  not  our  American  plane  tree,  or  sycamore,  which  is 
sometimes  called  the  buttonwood  tree,  but  a compact,  glossy-leaved 
shrub,  indigenous  throughout  the  States  on  the  borders  of  swamps 
and  in  wet  shady  places.  For  such  places  it  is  one  of  the  best 
shrubs,  forming  a globular  bush,  well  covered  with  thick  glossy 
leaves.  The  flowers  are  yellowish-white,  and  appear  in  globular 
clusters,  about  one  inch  in  diameter,  in  July  and  August.  Height 
four  to  six  feet.  In  dry  sunny  exposures  the  foliage  is  rusty,  less 
abundant,  and  less  glossy. 


THE  BERBERRY.  Berberis. 

A spreading,  many-stemmed,  deciduous  prickly  shrub ; the 
habit  of  growth  being  much  like  that  of  a gooseberry  bush. 
Height  from  four  to  ten  feet.  Leaves  small,  very  glossy,  obovate, 
serrate,  with  hairy  edges  ; flowers  yellow ; May  and  June.  Berries 
red ; ripe  in  September.  Grown  in  England  for  its  fruit.  It  is  a 
long-lived  shrub,  and  sometimes  grows  into  a small  tree. 

The  Common  Berberry.  B.  vulgaris. — When  well  grown,  in 
a warm  soil,  it  forms  a very  pretty  shrub.  Its  short  racemes  of 
small  yellow  flowers,  in  May,  though  not  showy,  are  pretty.  When 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


477 


growing  alone,  or  on  the  border  of  a mass  of  shrubs,  its  branches, 
with  age,  bend  gracefully  to  the  ground,  though  for  some  years  after 
it  is  planted  the  habit  is  erect. 

The  Purple  Berberry.  B.  atropurpurea. — This  is  a variety 
of  the  common  berberry,  with  leaves  and  young  twigs  of  a pure 
purple  color.  A beautiful  and  indispensable  shrub  in  every  collec- 
tion, on  this  account,  as  well  as  for  its  gracefully  spreading  habit. 
Flowers  like  the  preceding.  A spreading  bush,  five  to  seven  feet 
broad  and  high,  ordinarily,  but  may  be  grown  much  larger. 


THE  CALYCANTHUS,  OR  SWEET-SCENTED  SHRUB. 

Calycafithus  Jioridus. 

A spreading  bush,  native  of  the  southern  States,  with  fragrant 
flowers  and  camphor-scented  wood.  The  flowers,  produced  from 
May  to  August,  are  small  and  inconspicuous,  but  of  a peculiar  and 
delicious  perfume.  Color,  a deep  dull  purple.  The  leaves  are 
dull  in  color.  At  the  south  it  is  a handsome  shrub,  but  is  not  so 
well  worth  planting  in  the  northern  States,  except  for  the  peculiar- 
ity of  the  perfume.  It  does  best  in  a rich,  warm,  sandy  soil,  and 
a shady  place.  The  C.  glaums  is  a variety  very  similar  to  the 
above,  with  glossier  leaves,  and  less  odorous  but  brighter-colored 
flowers.  Height  at  the  south  six  to  eight  feet.  The  C.  prunifolius 
is  a variety  highly  recommended  for  its  good  habit  and  fragrance. 


THE  CARAGANA.  Caragana. 

An  Asiatic  species  of  leguminacece,  mostly  shrubs.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  best  known : 

The  Siberian  Pea-tree.  Ca?‘agana  arborescens. — A fastig- 
iate  shrubby  tree,  with  numerous  yellow  twigs  and  very  small 
pinnate  leaves  of  the  same  character  as  those  of  the  acacias,  but 
much  smaller  and  of  a rare  golden-green  color.  Flowers  small, 
yellow,  in  April  or  May.  Seeds  borne  in  pods,  ripe  in  August.  A 
tree  of  marked  beauty  in  early  Summer,  by  the  contrast  it  presents 


478 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


with  shrubs  of  dark  and  less  delicate  foliage.  Height  ten  to  eigh- 
teen feet. 

The  Caragana  frutescens  is  a more  shrubby  species  of  the  same, 
growing  six  to  ten  feet  high ; also  noted  for  the  yellowish  hue  of  its 
leaves. 

The  Caragana  grandiflora . — A pretty,  quite  low  shrub,  with  the 
same  characteristics  of  foliage  as  the  preceding.  Height  two  to 
four  feet.  Flowers  yellow,  an  inch  long,  in  June  and  July.  Pods 
brown,  ripe  in  September. 

The  Chinese  Caragana,  C.  chamlagu , is  a low  spreading  shrub, 
two  to  four  feet  high,  with  branches  at  first  upright  and  then  de- 
cumbent. Grafted  on  the  C.  arborescens  it  forms,  according  to 
Loudon,  “a  singularly  picturesque  pendulous  tree;  beautiful  not 
only  when  it  is  in  leaf  or  in  flower,  but  from  the  graceful  lines 
formed  by  its  branches,  even  in  the  midst  of  winter,  when  they  are 
completely  stripped  of  their  leaves.”  Flowers  yellow,  or  reddish- 
yellow,  in  May  and  June. 


THE  CALOPHACA.  Calophaca, 

This  is  another  species  of  Icguminacecz,  from  Russia  and  Siberia, 
with  extremely  small  acacia-like  leaves,  composed  of  many  leaflets, 
and  racemes  of  yellow  blossoms,  on  long  upright  stalks.  It  bears 
a reddish  pod  in  August,  which  is  ornamental.  It  is  recommended 
to  graft  this  species  on  the  laburnum,  as  it  forms  a shrub  only  two 
to  four  feet  high  on  its  own  roots.  Flowers  in  June. 


THE  CHIMONANTHUS,  OR  WINTER  FLOWER. 

Chimonanthus  fragrans. 

A half-hardy  shrub,  from  Japan,  producing  yellow  and  purple 
flowers,  an  inch  or  more  in  diameter,  of  great  fragrance,  from  No- 
vember to  March ; hence  its  name  of  winter  flower.  It  flourishes 
in  the  south  of  England,  and  will  probably  thrive  on  the  Atlantic 
and  Gulf  slopes  south  of  Washington.  It  is  considered  one  of  the 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


479 


choicest  acquisitions  to  English  gardens,  as  its  flowers  can  be  gath- 
ered fresh  daily  through  the  winter,  to  decorate  and  perfume  the 
drawing-room.  Those  who  have  cold  grape-houses  at  the  north 
may  grow  the  shrub  in  tubs,  to  be  kept  in  the  open  air  during  the 
summer  and  under  glass  in  winter.  Height  six  to  eight  feet.  It 
can  be  trained  to  walls  or  espaliers.  The  name  so  nearly  resembles 
chionanthus  that  it  is  sometimes  erroneously  supposed  to  be  the 
same. 


CEANOTHUS,  OR  RED  ROOT.  Ceanothus. 

The  American  Ceanothus  or  New  Jersey  Tea-plant,  C. 
americanus , is  a wild-wood  shrub  from  three  to  four  feet  high,  well 
covered  with  small  racemes  of  white  flowers  from  June  to  August. 
The  leaves  were  used  during  the  American  Revolution  as  a substi- 
tute for  tea. 

C.  thyssiflorus  is  a sub-evergreen  shrub  of  Upper  California, 
which  there  becomes  a small  tree  bearing  bright  blue  flowers  from 
May  to  November.  In  English  gardens  it  is  an  esteemed  flowering 
shrub. 

C.  velutinus , is  another  sub-evergreen  species,  native  of  the 
lower  hills  of  Oregon,  where  it  sometimes  covers  their  declivities 
with  almost  impenetrable  thickets.  Height  three  to  eight  feet ; 
flowers  white. 


THE  CHASTE  TREE.  Vitex. 

The  chaste  tree  of  our  nurseries  is  the  V agnus  castus.  A de- 
ciduous shrub,  native  of  South  Europe.  The  leaf  is  composed  of 
five  to  seven  slender  leaflets  joined  at  a common  centre  like  those 
of  the  Pavia  family.  They  are  aromatic,  but  not  agreeably  so. 
Flowers  in  September,  small,  bluish-white,  rarely  reddish-white, 
in  loose  terminal  panicles,  from  seven  to  fifteen  inches  in  length, 
and  of  an  agreeable  odor.  Height  eight  to  ten  feet.  The  V.  a. 
latifolia  is  a variety  with  broader  and  shorter  leaflets,  and  flowers 
always  blue.  The  cut-leaved  chaste  tree,  V.  incisa , is  a newer 


480 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


Chinese  species  that  blooms  profusely  from  July  to  September. 
Height  four  to  five  feet.  The  India  chaste  tree,  V.  arbor ea , is  the 
largest  species,  and  has  broader  and  paler  leaves.  Flowers  pur- 
plish, in  July  and  August.  Height  thirty  feet.  Half-hardy.  All 
the  family  require  a dry  soil. 


THE  CLETHRA.  Clethra. 

Fig.  i 6-i.  This  shrub,  though  indigenous  in  our 

'•  woods,  has  been  brought  into  notice  in  the 

New  York  Central  Park,  more  than  ever  be- 
fore. There  are  specimens  there  of  several 
varieties.  Fig.  162  represents  one  of  them. 
The  Alder-leaved,  C.  alnifolia,  forms  a 
dense  low  shrub,  covered  in  July  with  a mass  of  white  flowers  in 
racemes  or  spikes,  and  in  September  with  a load  of  seeds  that  are 
showy,  and  rather  ornamental.  It  also  blooms  a little  for  the 
second  time  in  September.  Hardy.  Leaves  abundant,  light-col- 
ored, and  without  gloss.  Height  three  to  four  feet,  and  greater 
breadth.  A native  of  swamps. 

The  Fragrant  Clethras  grow  by  many  divaricating  sprouts 
or  suckers,  into  a broad  mass  of  coarse  light-colored  foliage.  A 
specimen  in  the  Central  Park  is  eight  feet  high,  ten  feet  in  diame- 
ter, and,  in  September,  one  of  the  best  single  masses  of  shrub 
foliage. 

The  Downy  Clethra,  C.  tomentosa , differs  principally  in  having 
the  underside  of  the  leaves  covered  with  white  down. 

The  Large  Clethra,  C.  acuminata,  is  a large  shrub  or  low 
tree,  with  flowers  like  the  first-named  sort.  A native  of  the  high 
mountains  of  the  Carolinas. 


COLUTEA,  OR  BLADDER  SENNA.  Colutea  arborescens. 


A quick-growing  straggling  shrub,  with  delicate  acacia-like  leaves, 
of  a warm  light  color.  Its  flowers  are  small  and  yellow,  in  July 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


481 


and  August.  Its  fruit-pods  are  like  little  bladders,  and  explode 
with  pressure.  A good  shrub  for  the  viterior  of  masses  of  shrubbery. 
Height  twelve  to  fourteen  feet.  C.  cruenta  is  a smaller  variety, 
with  reddish  flowers.  C.  media  is  near  the  size  of  the  first,  with 
orange  flowers.  They  require  cutting  back,  to  prevent  the  bottom 
parts  from  becoming  bare  of  leaves,  unless  placed  behind  masses 
of  lower  shrubs.  The  C.  arborescens  can,  with  care,  be  made  into 
a pretty  tree. 


THE  FLOWERING  CURRANT.  Ribes. 

The  several  varieties  of  flowering  cur- 
rants are  graceful  shrubs  of  slender  growth 
and  small  leaves  ; with  less  weight  of  foliage 
than  characterize  the  lilacs,  syringas,  and 
bush-honeysuckles,  but  so  early  in  leaf  and 
flower,  and  pleasing  in  form,  that  they  are 
apt  to  grow  in  favor  where  well  known. 

There  is  a grace  in  the  drooping — almost  trailing — habit  of  the 
lower  growth  of  old  bushes  when  allowed  free  expansion  on  all 
sides,  that  adapts  them  for  the  borders  of  groups.  Height  and 
breadth  five  to  eight  feet. 

The  Missouri  Currant.  Ribes  aurcum. — This  blooms  in 
April,  as  the  leaves  are  beginning  to  expand.  The  blossoms  are 
yellow,  small,  in  racemes  from  one  to  two  inches  long,  and  fragrant. 
Covering  the  slender  branches,  bending  to  the  lawn,  these  early 
flowers  mingled  with  opening  leaves  have  a pretty  effect,  and  the 
shrubs  cover  pleasingly  with  delicate  yellowish-green  glossy  foliage 
after  the  flowers  are  gone. 

The  Red-flowering  Currant,  R.  sanguineinn , is  much  more 
showy  in  bloom.  Its  flowers  are  a deep  rose-color,  small  like  the 
preceding,  but  the  racemes  a little  longer,  and  it  blooms  even 
earlier.  There  are  many  varieties,  hybrids  between  this  and  the 
R.  aureum.  The  following  is  generally  considered  the  finest: 

Gordon’s  Flowering  Currant,  R.  Gordoni , has  both  crimson 
and  yellow  flowers  ; it  blooms  profusely,  and  somewhat  later  than 
3i 


482 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


the  preceding,  and  is  of  vigorous  growth  and  very  graceful  habit  at 
maturity. 

The  Double  Crimson,  R.  sanguinea  flore plena , is  a new  variety, 
said  to  be  more  showy  in  flower. 

The  R.  s.  glutinosum  is  a variety  with  pink  flowers  and  earliest 
of  all  in  leaf.  The  foliage  of  all  these  shrubs  falls  early,  but  turns 
to  brilliant  crimson  and  yellow  colors  before  it  falls. 

The  Fuschia  Gooseberry,  Rides  speciosiun , is  necessary  to 
complete  the  variety.  Its  shining  leaves  and  vivid  crimson 
blossoms,  like  miniature  fuschias,  and  its  lesser  size,  make  it  an 
appropriate  border  companion  for  the  preceding  sorts.  Flowers  in 
May  and  June.  It  can  be  budded  on  any  of  the  currants. 

All  these  varieties  of  Rides  arc  natives  of  the  valley  of  the 
Columbia,  or  California. 

Many  of  the  old  high-bush  gooseberries  are  beautiful  shrubs  in 
the  spring  and  summer,  but  most  of  them  drop  their  leaves  so 
early  in  the  fall  that  it  is  a serious  objection  to  their  use. 


THE  WHITE  CYTISSUS,  OR  PORTUGAL  BROOM. 

Cytissus  alda. 

A half-hardy  shrub,  allied  to  the  laburnums.  A native  of  the 
south  of  Europe.  Growth  rapid,  fastigiate,  and  composed  of  a 
great  number  of  green  upright  shoots.  Flowers  white,  in  May, 
like  very  small  pea-blossoms,  and  very  sweet.  “ Placed  by  itself 
on  a lawn,  it  forms  a singularly  ornamental  plant,  even  when  not  in 
flower,  by  the  varied  disposition  and  tufting  of  its  twiggy  thiead- 
like  branches.  When  in  flower  it  is  one  of  the  finest  ornaments  of 
the  garden.  Trained  to  a single  stem,  its  effect  is  increased  ; and 
grafted  on  the  laburnum,  a common  practice  about  Paris,  it  forms 
a remarkable  combination  of  beauty  and  singularity  ” (Loudon). 
Height  from  ten  to  twenty  feet. 

The  Flesh-colored  Cytissus.  C.  a.  incarnata. — This  is  a 
dwarf  variety  of  the  above  which  blooms  profusely,  and  is  probably 
the  most  desirable  of  the  species.  The  varieties  of  broom  are  very 
numerous,  but  not  of  sufficient  value  to  enumerate. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


483 


THE  COTONEASTER.  Cotoneaster. 

Shrubs,  deciduous  and  evergreen,  from  four  to  twenty  feet  high. 
The  leaves  of  some  varieties  resemble  the  quince  leaf,  and  others 
the  leaves  of  the  purple  fringe  tree.  Mostly  half-hardy. 

The  Common  Cotoneaster.  C.  vulgaris. — A shrub  three  to 
five  feet  high.  Flowers  small,  white,  slightly  tinged  with  pink,  in 
April  and  May.  Fruit  red  or  black,  ripe  in  July  and  August.  Of 
little  value. 

The  Frioid  Cotoneaster.  C.  frigida. — This  is  a native  of  the 
high  mountains  of  Nepal,  in  Asia,  and  becomes  under  cultivation 
a tree  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  height.  It  is  sub-evergreen  in 
England,  but  deciduous  in  this  country.  Leaves  pointed-elliptical, 
smooth  on  the  upper  side,  woolly  on  the  under  side,  when  young, 
and  from  three  to  five  inches  long.  Flowers  small,  white,  in  ter- 
minal panicles,  produced  in  great  abundance  in  April  and  May. 
Fruit  crimson  or  bright  red,  of  the  size  of  a small  currant,  and 
remains  a long  time  on  the  tree — sometimes  all  winter.  The  growth 
is  quite  rapid  when  young,  and  in  three  or  four  years  from  the  seed 
it  bears  flowers  and  fruit.  “ As  the  fruit,  with  the  greater  part  of 
the  leaves,  remains  on  all  w-inter,  the  tree  makes  a splendid  ap- 
pearance at  that  season  ” (Loudon).  Quite  hardy  in  England,  but 
only  half-hardy  in  our  northern  States.  It  may  be  grafted  on  the 
hawthorn. 

The  Downy  Cotoneaster  or  Downy  Nepal.  C.  affinis. — 
This  is  a more  commonly  cultivated  variety  of  the  above,  and 
differs  only  in  its  broader  and  shorter  leaves.  Both  resemble 
thrifty  pyramidal  dwarf  pear  trees,  with  larger  and  thicker  leaves. 

The  Pointed-leaved  Cotoneaster  or  the  Many-leaved 
Cotoneaster,  C.  acuminata  and  C.  numularia , has  smaller  and 
rounder  leaves,  a more  spreading  habit,  and  less  abundant  bloom. 
It  is  grafted  by  some  of  our  nurserymen  on  the  mountain  ash. 

The  Loose>flowered  Cotoneaster,  C.  laxiflora , is  a variety 
with  pink  flowers  borne  in  loose  racemes  in  April. 

There  are  some  dwarf  evergreen  varieties  which  are  mentioned 
in  the  chapter  on  evergreen  trees  and  shrubs. 


484 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


THE  DAPHNE.  Daphne. 

Low  shrubs,  both  deciduous  and  evergreen,  growing  in  shady 
places. 

The  Mezereon  Pink.  Daphne  mezerium. — A low,  fastigiate, 
deciduous  shrub,  valued  for  the  earliness  of  its  very  bright  red 
blossoms,  which  are  formed  upon  the  branches  in  March  and  April 
before  the  leaves  appear.  They  are  about  a half  inch  in  diameter. 
The  berries  are  red  and  ripe  in  September.  In  a deep  loam  and 
open  exposure  it  becomes  a shrub  four  to  six  feet  high,  and  of 
equal  breadth.  The  berries  and  leaves  are  both  poisonous  if  eaten. 
There  is  a white-flowered  variety,  D.  m.  flore  alba;  a purple- 
leaved, D.  van  Houtti ; and  an  autumn  bloomer,  D.  m.  autumnale. 
The  latter  blooms  in  November  and  December,  and  has  larger 
leaves  and  a more  spreading  habit  than  the  common  mezereon. 

There  are  numerous  species  of  Daphne,  but  no  others  of  known 
value  except  the  Daphne  cneorum , which  is  mentioned  among 
evergreens. 

THE  ELDER.  Sambucus. 

The  Common  Elder,  S.  canadensis. — This  is  the  Canadian 
• elder  of  the  English.  A large  spreading  bush  from  seven  to  ten 
feet  high,  and  of  greater  breadth  ; with  a flattened  umbrella-shaped 
top.  Its  compound  leaves  are  composed  of  nine  leaflets,  of  a light 
green  color,  and  glossy  on  the  upper  surface.  The  flowers  are 
small,  white,  and  in  large  flat  clusters,  in  July.  The  fruit,  about 
the  size  of  the  currant,  is  bluish-black,  good  to  eat,  and  excellent 
for  wine  ; ripe  in  September.  The  spreading  form,  handsome  com- 
pound glossy  leaves,  and  showy  fruit  of  our  wild  elder,  sometimes 
make  it  a shrub  of  considerable  beauty. 

The  Black-fruited  Elder.  S.  nigra. — This  is  the  common 
elder  of  the  English,  and  a native  of  Europe.  It  grows  as  a tree 
rapidly  when  young,  but  remains  stationary  after  the  tree  has  at- 
tained twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  height,  and  equal  breadth.  The 
leaves  are  pinnate,  of  five  leaflets,  smooth,  and  of  a deep  green 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


485 


color.  The  flowers,  of  a pleasing  cream  color,  are  small,  but  in 
large  flat  clusters,  in  June.  When  in  bloom  the  tree  is  showy;  and 
it  has  a pleasing  appearance  at  other  times.  The  berries  are  pur- 
plish-black, ripe  in  September,  and  valuable,  like  those  of  our  na- 
tive sort,  for  making  wine.  A wine  is  also  made  from  the  flowers. 

The  Mountain  Elder,  S.  racemosa , is  a shrub  from  ten  to 
twelve  feet  in  height,  “ a native  of  the  middle  and  south  of  Eu- 
rope, and  Siberia,  on  the  mountains,  where  it  forms  a large  shrub, 
or  low  tree,  growing  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  high”  (Loudon).  It 
is  remarkable  for  the  color  of  its  panicles  of  fruit,  which  are  a bril- 
liant scarlet,  and  considered  by  some  the  most  beautiful  of  wild 
fruits.  The  leaves  are  composed  of  five  leaflets,  of  a pale  green 
color,  and  smooth.  Flowers  a whitish-green.  Why  is  it  not  cul- 
tivated in  our  nurseries  ? 

Tiie  Variegated-leaved  Elder.  S.  variegata. — This  is  one  of 
the  most  showy  of  variegated-leaved  shrubs.  The  growth  is  strong 
and  healthy,  the  leaves  are  mottled  with  a clear  yellow,  and  pre- 
serve their  bright  color  throughout  the  season. 


THE  EUONYMUS.  Euonymus. 

Shrubs,  or  small  trees,  popularly  known  by  the  names  straw- 
berry tree,  spindle  tree,  and  burning  bush.  Different  species  of  r 
the  euonymus  are  indigenous  in  America,  Europe  and  Asia.  There 
are  several  varieties  of  decided  beauty.  The  name  burning-bush, 
given  to  both  the  common  European  and  American  euonymus,  well 
describes  them  as  seen  at  a distance  when  covered  with  their  pen- 
dant crimson  or  scarlet  seed-capsules  in  October  and  later  ; and 
especially  when  seen  in  the  thickets  of  a forest.  They  are  all  of 
easy  culture,  hold  their  leaves  longer  than  many  other  shrubs,  and 
turn  to  fine  colors  in  autumn. 

The  American  Euonymus,  E.  americana , forms  a pretty  little 
umbrella-shaped  tree,  from  six  to  ten  feet  high,  with  pretty  green 
striped  bark,  and  dark  glossy  leaves,  somewhat  resembling  those  of 
the  dogwood  family.  It  is  a pleasing  tree  or  shrub  without  its 
fruit,  though  it  is  for  the  beauty  given  it  in  autumn  and  winter  by 


486 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


its  brilliant  and  curious  seed-vessels,  that  it  is  usually  planted. 
The  flowers  are  a greenish-yellow,  in  May  and  June,  and  incon- 
spicuous. The  seed  is  enclosed  in  a capsule,  which  opens  like  a 
chestnut  burr,  showing  a glowing  crimson  lining,  frpm  which  the 
white  and  scarlet  seeds  are  suspended  by  delicate  threads,  and  re- 
main a long  time  on  the  tree — sometimes  all  winter — and  when 
contrasted  with  the  snow  around  them,  render  the  tree  singularly 
brilliant. 

The  Purple-flowered  Euonymus,  E.  atropurpureum , is 
another  native  variety,  distinguished  by  its  purple  flowers  in  June 
and  July,  and  its  narrower  leaves. 

The  European  Euonymus.  E . europceus . — This  species  has 
a smaller  leaf  than  our  own,  and,  we  think,  is  not  so  handsome ; 
but  the  difference  is  slight  in  all  respects.  It  becomes  a tree  of 
larger  size,  sometimes  attaining  a height  of  thirty  feet. 

The  Broad-leaved  Euonymus.  E.  latifolius. — This  is  the 
most  beautiful  in  foliage  of  the  family,  with  leaves  considerably 
larger  than  the  others,  quite  abundant,  and  of  a fine  glossy  green  ; 
the  fruit  is  also  larger,  and  of  a deep  red  color,  more  showy  in 
quantity,  but  not  so  brilliant  in  color  as  the  American  sort.  The 
decaying  leaves  turn  to  a fine  purplish-red,  and  the  naked  branches 
are  of  a pleasing  reddish-green.  It  forms  a tree  from  ten  to  twenty 
feet  high.  One  of  the  finest  of  shrubby  trees. 

The  Euonymus  radicans  is  a new  variety  from  Japan,  recom- 
mended by  Thomas  Meehan,  Esq.,  as  a tree  of  striking  beauty. 

There  are  several  new  variegated-leaved  varieties  from  Japan, 
and  some  dwarf  species,  the  beauty  and  hardiness  of  which  have 
not  yet  been  sufficiently  proved  to  call  for  special  notice. 


THE  EL^E AGNUS,  OLEASTER,  OR  WILD  OLIVE. 

Elceagnus. 

The  Garden  El^eagnus  or  Oleaster.  EZaagnus  hortensis. — 
This  is  an  old  English  garden  shrub,  a native  of  southern  Europe. 
It  is  noted  for  the  silvery  whiteness  of  its  foliage,  and,  on  this  ac- 
count, is  often  selected  to  plant  where  it  is  desired  to  attract  atten- 


DECIDUOUS  SIIRUBS. 


487 


tion  to  a particular  point,  or  to  create  variety  with  other  trees. 
Flowers  in  May,  quite  small,  pale  yellow,  and  fragrant.  Fruit  red- 
dish-brown ; insipid.  Height  fifteen  to  twenty  feet.  Half-hardy. 

The  Missouri  Silver-tree.  E.  argentea. — A fastigiate  small 
tree,  with  whitish-colored  small  leaves,  and  rather  a pendulous  dis- 
position of  its  spray.  A fine  specimen  is  growing  near  the  Seventh 
Avenue  entrance  to  the  Central  Park,  in  an  exposed  locality,  which, 
in  September,  1868,  was  fifteen  feet  high  and  eight  feet  broad ; and 
was  quite  showy  by  reason  of  the  whiteness  of  its  foliage  and  its 
graceful  growth.  Flowers  small,  yellow,  in  July  and  August. 
Fruit  about  the  size  of  a small  cherry ; the  flesh  dry  and  mealy, 
but  eatable. 

The  Japan  Oleaster,  E.  japonica , and  the  small-flowered  E. 
paniflorus , are  shrubs  noted  for  their  whitish  foliage. 


THE  FOTHERGILLA.  Fothergilla  alnifolia. 

A dense-foliaged,  low,  and  very  spreading  native  shrub,  which 
thrives  only  in  partial  shade  and  moisture,  and  requires  some  pro- 
tection at  the  north.  Leaves  obovate,  bluntly  serrated,  and  downy 
beneath.  Flowers  small,  white,  in  terminal  spikes,  sweet-scented 
and  appear  before  the  leaves  in  April  and  May. 


THE  FORSYTHIA.  Forsythia  viridissima. 

A large  spreading  shrub,  of  brilliant  green  foliage,  and  strag- 
gling willow  like  sprouts  and  growth.  Its  luxuriance,  the  earliness 
of  its  bright  small  yellow  flowers,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  a compara- 
tively new  thing,  has  given  this  shrub  a reputation  that  it  may  not 
sustain.  It  is  a little  tender  north  of  New  York,  and  when  young 
and  growing  rapidly  the  summer  growth  should  be  headed  back, 
about  the  first  of  October,  one-half  its  length.  At  the  west  end  of 
Lake  Erie  it  kills  back  winters  in  consequence  of  continuing  its 
growth  too  late  in  autumn.  Its  leaves  hang  on  late  in  the  fall 
almost  with  the  persistency  of  an  evergreen.  Height  and  breadth 


1-88 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


seven  to  ten  feet.  It  does  not,  at  the  north,  grow  into  a good  form 
to  stand  alone,  and  should,  therefore,  be  grown  among  other  shrubs. 


THE  HAZEL  AND  FILBERT.  Cory/us. 

Our  common  bush  hazel  can  hardly  be  unknown  to  any  persons 
in  this  country;  as  it  grows  wild  in  all  sections,  forming  copses  from 
four  to  seven  feet  high  in  new  clearings  and  by  the  sides  of  fences, 
wherever  the  ground  is  warm  and  rich.  Its  nut  is  the  most  deli- 
cate of  all  native  nuts,  and  quite  equal  in  flavor,  though  inferior  in 
size,  to  the  Spanish  filbert.  Where  squirrels  abound  it  is  difficult 
to  preserve/the  nuts,  as  the  nimble  animals  usually  gather  them  the 
moment  they  are  fit,  and  lay  them  by  for  winter  use  ; while  to  pluck 
them  before  the  husk  is  brown  injures  their  flavor  and  plumpness. 
The  bushes  in  foliage  resemble  young  elms  so  closely  that  they  are 
frequently  dug  for  them.  The  green-fringed  husk  of  the  nut  is 
quite  ornamental,  and,  if  rare,  would  be  considered  a great  curi- 
osity. As  it  is,  we  would  prefer  the  hazel  bush,  as  an  ornamental 
copse,  to  quite  a number  of  foreign  shrubs  grown  in  our  nurseries. 
It  does  best  in  masses,  and  in  the  dry  rich  soil  of  cultivated  grounds 
it  would,  doubtless,  give  a grateful  return  of  vigorous  growth  and 
picturesque  fruit,  to  repay  all  extra  attentions.  Some  of  the  pretti- 
est examples  of  shrubbery  vistas  we  have  ever  seen  were  on  cow- 
paths  (followed  when  a boy)  winding  between  clumps  of  luxuriant 
hazel,  and  among  exquisite  little  thorn  trees,  elegantly  trimmed  by 
browsing  sheep  and  cattle : — not  “ tangled  wild-woods  ” either — but 
with  velvet  lawn,  and  all  the  rounded  and  cultivated  beauty  essen- 
tial to  the  neighborhood  of  a dwelling-house. 

The  following  are  varieties  of  hazels  and  filberts : Corylus  amer- 
ica?ia  is  the  common  American  hazel-nut  above  described.  C. 
avellana  is  the  common  European  hazel  or  filbert.  The  varieties 
of  this  are  numerous  ; some  of  them  are  cultivated  for  their  beauty 
alone,  and  others  for  their  superior  nuts. 

The  Purple-leaved  Filbert,  C.  a.  purpurea,  has  leaves  of  a 
dark  red  or  purple,  and  is  one  of  the  most  showy  of  colored-leaved 
shrubs.  Its  sporting  character  is  so  vigorous  that  it  is  said  to  im- 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


489 


part  its  color  to  the  leaves  of  the  stock  on  which  it  is  grafted  ! It 
might  be  grafted  or  budded  on  strong  canes  of  our  native  hazel. 

The  C.  a.  crispa  is  one  of  the  finest  filberts,  and  also  remarkable 
for  the  length  and  showiness  of  its  fringed  nut-husks.  The  C.  a. 
tejuiis , C.  a.  tubulosay  C.  a.  barceloneJisis , are  all  fine  large  varieties 
of  filberts,  and  somewhat  larger  shrubs  than  our  native  hazel. 

The  Constantinople  Hazel,  C.  colurna , is  the  largest  of  the 
species,  making  a tree  fifty  to  sixty  feet  high. 


THE  HYDRANGEA.  Hydrangea. 

Herbaceous  shrubs,  mostly  natives  of  this  country,  some  of 
which  have  globular  masses  of  white  and  pink-white  flowers,  and 
generally  fine  masses  of  large,  rather  heart-shaped  leaves,  of  a 
pleasing  light-green  color.  Generally  half-hardy. 

The  Garden  Hydrangea.  H.  hortensis. — This  is  the  common 
bushy  plant  grown  in  boxes  and  seen  in  or  near  almost  every  New 
England  village  porch.  It  is  well  worthy  of  its  popularity.  Few 
plants  better  repay  attention.  It  forms  a globular  bush,  from  two 
to  four  feet  in  diameter,  densely  furnished  with  large  leaves,  and 
covered  all  summer  with  light  pink  blossoms,  in  massy  clusters, 
frequently  six  inches  in  diameter.  The  flowers  change  their  color 
in  an  unusual  manner  with  the  treatment  they  receive,  sometimes 
changing  to  blue  and  purple ; a mixture  of  a few  iron-filings  with 
the  soil  producing  the  former  color.  It  is  best  to  grow  it  in  boxes, 
to  be  wintered  in  dry  cellars,  as  it  is  too  tender  to  be  trusted  in  the 
open  ground  in  the  northern  States.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful outdoor  box-plants,  of  easy  culture,  and  as  it  does  best  in  the 
shade,  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  positions  near  walks  in  the  shadows 
of  trees.  It  requires  rich,  warm,  and  always  moist  soil. 

The  Silver-striped  Leaved,  and  the  Golden-striped  Leaved 
Hydrangeas,  have  only  the  peculiarities  which  their  names  import. 

The  Oak-leaved  Hydrangea.  H.  quercifolia. — A hardier 
shrub  than  the  ) hortensis , and  more  woody;  of  bushy  habit.  It  be- 
comes a massive-looking  shrub,  six  feet  high.  The  leaves  are 
large,  rough,  lobed  like  an  oak,  and  hairy  or  downy  beneath.  The 


490 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


flowers,  which  are  white,  and  about  one  and  a half  inches  in  diame- 
ter, are  borne  in  clusters  from  four  to  six  inches  long,  from  June  to 
September.  It  requires  a sheltered  situation,  and  a moist  soil.  In 
autumn  the  leaves  turn  to  a fine  deep-red  color. 

The  Heart-leaved  Hydrangea,  H.  cordata , has  large  foliage 
and  small  flowers  : the  tree-like,  H arborescens , is  a native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  Virginia ; the  bush,  leaf,  and  flower  being  smaller 
than  the  preceding  : the  snowy-leaved,  or  hoary-leaved,  H.  canescc?isy 
is  a low  shrub  of  the  southern  States,  with  flowers  larger  than  the 
preceding,  and  leaves  white  and  velvety  beneath.  The  involucrcita 
is  said  to  be  a hardy  and  unusually  erect  variety. 

The  Japan  Hydrangea.  H.  dcutziafolia  (H  paniculata  gran- 
diflora). — This  variety,  but  recently  introduced  into  this  country, 
bids  fair  to  be  quite  the  most  valuable  of  the  hydrangeas.  It  seems 
to  be  hardy  in  the  Central  Park,  with  straw  protection  in  winter,  and 
there  forms  magnificent  masses  of  fine  leaves  and  flowers,  bloom- 
ing profusely  from  the  first  of  August  until  frosts.  The  leaves  are 
large,  abundant,  and  of  a dark  bright  glossy  green  color.  The 
flowers  are  larger  than  those  of  the  old  box-hydrangea,  of  a creamy- 
white  color,  and  waxy  texture.  They  grow  in  immense  spikes  six 
inches  or  more  long,  and  of  equal  breadth,  and  turn  to  a purplish- 
pink  color  as  the  season  advances.  Height  and  breadth  of  bush 
from  three  to  five  feet. 


THE  HYPERICUM,  OR  ST.  JOHNSWORT.  Hypericum. 

Low  sub-evergreen  shrubs  suitable  for  shady  places.  The  va- 
rieties H prolificum  and  H.  kalmianum  are  broad,  compact,  low 
shrubs,  two  to  three  feet  high,  with  small  elliptical  leaves,  and 
corymbs  of  small  yellow  flowers  in  July  and  August,  and  are  highly 
valued  (especially  the  latter)  for  their  neat  compact  growth  and  the 
warm  tone  of  the  foliage.  The  H.  calycinum  is  an  evergreen  trail-  ^ 
ing  species  with  much  larger  leaves  and  flowers,  the  latter  of  a 
bright-golden  color,  which  is  greatly  esteemed  for  planting  among 
rocks  and  trees  in  very  shady  places.  The  root  creeps  and  stoles 
so  that  the  plant  extends  itself  rapidly  over  the  surface. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


491 


THE  JASMINE.  Jasminum. 

The  name  jasmine 'has  been  so  interwoven  with  poetical  asso- 
ciations that  it  carries  with  it  an  aroma  of  literature  as  well  as  of 
flowers.  I#  is  time-honored  as  one  of  the  emblems  of  bridal 
adornment,  the  blossoms  being  used  to  deck  the  hair.  Moore 
alludes  to  this  custom  in  the  oriental  story  of  Lalla  Rookh : 

“ And  brides  as  delicate  and  fair 
As  the  white  jasmine  flowers  they  wear, 

Hath  Yemen,  in  her  blissful  clime.” 

Cowper  describes  both  the  leaves  and  blossoms  in  the  following 
lines : 

“ The  deep  dark  green  of  whose  unvarnished  leaf 
Makes  more  conspicuous  and  illumes  the  more, 

The  bright  profusion  of  her  scattered  stars.” 

The  family  embraces  vines,  shrubs,  and  trees,  evergreen  and 
deciduous ; some  of  them  hot-house  plants,  most  of  them  half- 
hardy  vines,  and  a few  hardy  ones.  The  fragrance  of  their  blos- 
soms is  their  most  charming  trait.  Most  of  the  species  will  not 
bear  the  winters  in  our  country.  Their  most  beautiful  use  is  for 
covering  low  walls  or  arbors  in  protected  situations. 

The  Common  Jasmine,  y officinale , may  be  grown  as  a shrub, 
but  is  really  a noble  climber  in  congenial  climates ; as  in  its  native 
wilds  in  Asia,  Georgia,  and  the  mountains  of  Caucasus,  it  grows 
forty  to  fifty  feet  in  height,  and  attains  similar  dimensions  in  our 
southern  States.  Its  young  wood  is  of  a fine  deep-green  color, 
and  being  quite  abundant,  gives  the  vine  in  winter  the  appearance 
of  an  evergreen  plant.  Leaves  pinnate,  five  to  seven  leaflets. 
Flowers  white,  in  June,  July,  and  August,  and  exceedingly  fragrant. 
This  jasmine  requires  winter  protection  in  the  northern  States. 

The  yastnine  nudiflorum  is  a sort  recently  introduced  ; with 
fragrant  yellow  blossoms  from  May  to  October.  Mr.  Meehan  re- 
commends that  it  “ be  trained  to  a stiff  stake  and  pruned  twice  a 
year ; it  then  grows  very  compact,  and  will  support  itself  after  the 
stake  rots  away,  and  makes  one  of  the  prettiest  shrubbery  bushes 
imaginable.”  Requires  protection  in  winter. 


492 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


These  are  the  only  jasmines  sufficiently  hardy  to  be  recom- 
mended for  out-door  culture. 

The  Jasmine  of  Goa,  J.  odoratissimum , is  a yellow-flowered 
green-house  variety,  native  of  Madeira,  of  exquisite  fragrance ; to 
which  the  charming  lines  of  Moore  apply — 


“ ’Tvvas  midnight  : — through  the  lattice,  wreathed 
With  woodbine,  many  a perfume  breathed, 
From  plants  that  wake  when  others  sleep, 
From  timid  jasmine  buds,  that  keep 
Their  odor  to  themselves  all  day, 

But,  when  the  sunlight  dies  away, 

Let  the  delicious  secret  out 
To  every  breeze  that  roams  about.” 


It  may  be  kept  through  the  winter  in  a pit  or  green-house,  and 
planted  out  as  a pot-shrub  in  summer,  in  corners  near  windows,  or 
other  places  where  its  evening  fragrance'  can  be  best  enjoyed. 

Loudon  relates  an  extraordinary  fact  concerning  the  jasmine, 
viz:  “When  it  is  desired  to  turn  a green-leaved  jasmine  into  a 
variegated  one,  a single  bud  of  either  the  silver-leaved,  or  the 
golden-leaved,  inserted  in  it,  will  communicate  its  variegation  to 
every  part  of.  the  plant,  even  to  suckers  thrown  up  by  the  roots  ! ” 


THE  JAPAN  KERRIA,  OR  GLOBE  FLOWER. 

Kerria  japonica. 

A low  shrub  bearing  yellow  flowers  from  March  to  June,  and 
sometimes  all  summer.  Leaves  deeply  and  unequally  serrated. 
The  bark  of  the  twigs  is  a fine  green  color.  The  double-flowered 
variety,  K.  j.  flore  plena,  is  not  quite  hardy.  Height  three  to  five 
feet. 


THE  POEONY.  Pceonia. 

The  Tree-Pceony,  P.  moutan , is  among  the  most  showy  of  low 
garden  shrubs,  and  in  dry  soils  sufficiently  hardy  to  be  planted 
throughout  the  States  ; though  considerable  protection  in  the 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


493 


northern  States  improves  its  size  and  beauty.  It  attains  a height 
of  from  five  to  eight  feet  in  ten  years,  if  properly  taken  care  of. 
The  two  most  common  varieties  are  the  Chinese  double-blush, 
P.  banksii, \ with  pale,  rose-colored  flowers,  from  four  to  six  inches 
in  diameter,  very  double  and  fragrant,  and  much  the  finest  of  all ; 
and  the  poppy-flowered,  P.  papaveracea , with  pale,  blush  flowers, 
less  double  than  the  preceding.  A large  number  of  varieties  are 
produced  in  the  nurseries,  some  of  which  may  be  improvements  on 
the  parent  species.  They  range  through  many  colors,  from  white 
and  variegated,  to  bright  red,  violet  and  purple.  The  following  are 
a few  of  the  best : 

P.  alba  variegata , white  petals,  purplish  centre,  very  double. 

P.  gumpperii , “bright  rosy  pink,  very  large  and  full;  plant 
vigorous  ; one  of  the  very  best  in  all  respects.”  (E.  & B.) 

P.  kochlerii , dark  rose-color  ; very  large  and  vigorous. 

P.  maxima  plena , rosy  carmine,  very  double  and  compact. 

P.  rosea  superba  plena , dark  rosy  violet. 

P.  schultzii , carmine,  shaded  with  rosy  lilac;  fine  form,  and 
fragrant. 

P.  incarnata  flore  plena , pure  white,  with  violet  centre ; 
fragrant. 


THE  PRIVET.  Ligustriun. 

The  Common  Privet,  Ligustrum  vulgaris,  is  one  of  the  com- 
monest of  old  garden  shrubs,  and  has  been  greatly  valued  for  de- 
ciduous hedges,  for  which  its  fastigiate  form,  ready  growth  from 
cuttings,  its  twiggy  and  healthy  habit,  well  adapt  it.  The  leaves 
are  small,  appear  e^rly,  and  hang  so  late  that  in  England  it  is 
called  a sub-evergreen.  The  flowers  are  small,  white,  on  terminal 
spikes,  which  cover  the  shrub  in  June  and  July.  Berries  a dark 
purple.  Growing  as  a shrub,  it  forms  a globular  bush  of  rather 
dull  green  color,  and  from  seven  to  ten  feet  high.  No  shrub  bears 
clipping  better,  or  is  more  easily  shaped  into  hedges,  screens,  or 
other  desirable  forms.  Yet,  for  such  purposes,  it  does  not  seem  to 
us  so  desirable  as  the  fine  arbor-vitaes  and  the  hemlock.  It  has,. 


494 


DECIDUOUS  TREES. 


however,  the  valuable  quality  of  flourishing  in  the  shade  and  drip 
of  trees.  It  needs  a strong  soil. 

The  Evergreen  Italian  Privet,  Z.  sempivirens , is  an  im- 
proved variety,  more  valuable  where  hardy. 

The  Gold-striped  and  Silver-striped  Privets,  Z.  folds 
aureis  and  argenteis , are  considered  by  some  “ pretty  and  desirable 
mingled  with  the  common  privet.” 

The  Oval-leaved  Privet,  Z.  ovalifolium,  is  a variety  with 
larger  leaves  and  stronger  growth  than  the  common,  which  we 
have  seen  formed  into  a superb  hedge  ten  feet  high,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Alfred  Cope,  Esq.,  Germantown,  Pa. 

There  are  numerous  varieties  named  from  small  differences  in 
forms  of  leaves  and  fruit,  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  enumerate. 

The  Waxy-leaved  Privet,  L.luddum , is  a species  recently 
introduced,  and  now  growing  with  great  beauty  in  the  Central 
Park.  It  is  a native  of  China,  where  it  forms  a low  sub-ever- 
green tree,  twenty  feet  in  height.  The  leaves  are  much  larger, 
brighter-colored,  and  more  glossy  than  those  of  the  common  privet 
Z.  /.  floribundum  is  its  finest  variety. 

The  Spike-flowered  Privet,  Z.  spicatumj  is  a tender  species 
from  Nepal,  with  large  pointed  elliptic  leaves,  and  larger  spikes  of 
flowers  ; six  to  eight  feet  high. 

The  California  Privet,  Z.  californica. — This  species,  re- 
cently introduced,  has  a leaf  of  such  remarkable  beauty,  that,  if  the 
shrub  proves  hardy,  it  will  be  very  popular  and  in  great  demand. 
The  leaf  is  considerably  larger  than  that  of  the  common  privet,  of 
a very  dark  waxy-green  on  the  upper  surface,  a purplish  tinge 
about  the  edges,  and  the  under  surface  pea-green.  The  gre^vth 
of  young  plants  is  about  the  same  as  that  of  the  common  privet, 
but  from  the  greater  size  of  the  leaves,  their  thicker  texture,  and 
brilliant  glossiness,  they  have  a ranker  appearance.  The  leaves 
have  a peculiar  veining,  that  adds  to  their  beauty.  Mr.  J.  R. 
Strumpe,  of  the  Parsons’  nursery,  believes  that  it  will  prove  hardy. 
What  size  it  attains  in  California  we  have  not  learned.  We  fear 
that  the  thick  waxy  foliage  of  this  beautiful  species  indicates  a 
tropical  nature  that  may  not  be  acclimated  in  most  parts  of  the 
northern  States. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


495 


PTELEA  OR  SHRUBBY  TREFOIL.  Ptelea  trifoliata. 

This  is  a thin  wild  shrub,  which  can  be  trained  into  a miniature 
tree  six  to  ten  feet  high.  Leaves  of  three  ovate  acute  leaflets,  on 
long  stalks ; they  turn  to  a clear  yellow  in  autumn.  Fruit  winged, 
and  in  clusters,  like  those  of  the  Halesia  ietraptera , Fig.  143. 


THE  QUINCE.  Cydonia. 

The  Common  Orange  Quince,  Cydonia  vulgaris,  is' sometimes 
one  of  the  prettiest  of  shrubby  trees.  But  it  is  so  commonly  seen 
crowded  into  some  corner  of 
the  garden,  or  neglected  grassy 
ground,  that  the  idea  of  its  being 
classed  with  favor  among  orna- 
mental trees  for  small  grounds  will 
seem  to  some  persons  almost  ludi- 
crous. Yet  we  have  seen  young 
quince  trees  loaded  with  large 
white  blossoms,  slightly  tinged 
with  pink,  standing  near  masses  of  the  finest  varieties  of  lilacs,  and 
in  full  view  of  blossoming  magnolias,  horse-chestnuts,  and  apple 
trees,  and  though  lowly  and  shrubby  compared  with  them,  it  was 
yet  not  inferior  to  any  in  the  beautiful  profusion  of  its  bloom,  and 
the  pleasing  setting  that  its  polished  young  leaves  make  for  their 
flowers.  Fig.  164  is  a sketch  of  a pretty  young  quince  tree  of  this 
sort.  When  grown  in  the  moist  rich  ground  which  it  requires,  the 
foliage  is  always  fine,  and  its  low  broad  form  is  well  adapted  to 
gardenesque  grounds.  Its  great  golden  fruit  in  autumn  is  among 
the  most  showy  of  fruits  while  hanging  on  the  tree,  as  well  as  the 
most  fragrant  of  native  conserves.  It  grows  quickly  to  the  height 
of  six  or  eight  feet,  and  afterwards  gains  more  in  breadth  than 
height,  so  that  in  ten  or  twelve  years  it  forms  a tree  about  eight  or 
ten-  feet  high,  and  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  diameter  of  head.  It  is 
best  grown  with  a single  stem,  and  allowed  to  branch  about  two 


t"lG.  I 64. 


496 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


feet  above  the  ground.  If  all  suckers  are  kept  down,  the  head  will 
usually  grow  to  a good  form  without  pruning.  The  branches  are 
of  crooked,  rambling  growth,  and  the  tree  is  not  a pleasing  one  in 
winter.  The  common  orange  quince  is  the  best  variety.  It  grows 
readily  from  cuttings. 

The  China  Quince  Tree.  C.  sinensis. — This  differs  from  the  pre- 
ceding in  having  serrated  instead  of  smooth-edged  leaves,  and  rose- 
colored  flowers.  Its  fruit  is  green,  egg-shaped,  and  of  little  value. 

The  Japan  Quince.  C.  Jciponicci. — This  variety  is  almost  too 
well  known  to  need  description.  Unlike  its  fruit-bearing  relative, 
the  C.  vulgaris,  this  later  importation  has  been  planted  as  it  de- 
serves to  be.  It  is  a low'  straggling  thorny  bush,  and  grows  from 
five  to  eight  feet  in  height  and  breadth.  Its  large  bright-scarlet 
flowers  are  the  earliest  showy  blossoms  of  the  shrubbery;  appear- 
ing with  those  of  the  red-bud  and  the  white-flowered  dogwood. 
On  thrifty  bushes  which  have  been  well  cut  back,  the  blossoms 
cover  the  branches  wfith  a blaze  of  bloom.  Its  leaves  are  a glossy- 
green,  appear  early,  and  keep  their  color  late.  A rich  soil,  moist 
or  dry,  is  essential  to  it.  When  growing  thriftily  its  straggling  shoots 
should  be  headed  back  twice  a year,  in  June  and  October,  to 
thicken  its  foliage  and  bring  the  flower-buds,  which  are  formed  at 
the  base  of  the  annual  growth,  on  the  outside  of  the  bush  at  the 
blooming  season. 

Among  the  sub-varieties  of  Japan  quince  are  the  following: 
The  C.  j.  umbellicata,  flowrers  a brilliant  rose-color.  Fruit  orange- 
colored  and  very  showy.  It  forms  a large  shrub,  and  is  considered 
by  some  growers  the  finest  variety.  The  Blush  Japan  quince,  C.  j. 
alba , large  pale-blush  flowers ; the  Double-Flowering  Scarlet,  C.  j. 
flore  plena  ; the  Dark  Crimson,  C.  j.  atrosanguinea  ; the  Orange 
Scarlet,  C.  j.  aurantiaca  ; and  the  mallardie , with  w-hite  flowers  and 
rosy  crimson  centre.  Nearly  all  are  distinguished  by  what  their 
names  imply. 

Were  the  Japan  quince  not  somewrhat  difficult  to  propagate,  it 
would  be  a most  desirable  low  hedge-plant.  Its  thorns  are  de- 
cidedly quick  to  repel  aggression,  its  leaves  are  bright  and  glossy 
from  early  spring  to  late  in  autumn,  and  its  blossoms  are  unequalled 
in  brilliancy,  in  their  season,  by  any  other  hedge-plant. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


497 


THE  ROSE.  Rosa. 

Du  Hamel  observes  that  “Nature 
appears  scarcely  to  have  placed  any 
limit  between  the  different  species  of 
the  rose;  and,  if  it  is  already  very 
difficult  to  define  the  wild  species, 
which  have  not  yet  been  modified  by 
culture,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
refer  to  their  original  type  the  numer- 
ous varieties  which  culture  has  made 
in  the  flowers  of  species  already  so 
nearly  resembling  each  other.”  To 
the  ordinary  amateur  the  great  num- 
ber of  divisions  among  cultivated 
roses  into  classes  and  sub-classes, 
by  which  professional  florists  en- 
deavor to  facilitate  a knowledge  of 
the  different  sorts  of  roses,  some- 
times serves  rather  to  make  the 
confusion  worse  confounded.  The  distinctions  which  seem  simple 
enough,  and  quite  necessary  to  professional  florists,  who  have  exam- 
ples of  all  sorts  constantly  before  their  eyes,  is  a bewildering  mass 
of  floral  lore,  quite  embarrassing  to  the  amateurs  for  whom  one 
or  two  dozen  of  the  best  varieties  of  roses  will  do  as  well  as  a 
thousand.  The  author  of  a recent  horticultural  work,  after  enumer- 
ating we  know  not  how  many  classes  of  roses,  closes  the  chapter 
by  condensing  the  results  of  his  experience  into  a “ select  list  ” 
of  upwards  of  two  hundred  varieties ! A generosity  scarcely  ex- 
ceeded by  the  nursery  catalogues. 

A plan  now  adopted  by  many  nurserymen,  and  recommended 
by  Francis  Parkman  in  his  excellent  treatise  entitled  “ The  Book 
of  Roses,”  is  to  arrange  roses  in  two  great  divisions,  viz : the  first 
division  embracing  all  roses,  whether  hardy  or  tender,  which  bloom 
in  June,  and  not  afterwards ; the  second  division  embracing  all 
which  bloom  more  than  once  in  a season.  * 


32 


498 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


Division  I. — Hardy  June  Roses. 

Under  this  head  are  the  following  sub-divisions  or  classes  given 
nearly  in  the  order  commonly  adopted  in  late  nursery  catalogues. 

Class  I.  Hybrid  China  Roses. — These  are  the  hardy  crosses 
which  long  cultivation  has  produced  between  the  European  June 
roses  of  various  families  and  the  true  China  roses.  They  are  mostly 
free  growers,  with  long  flexible  shoots ; many  of  them  well  adapted 
for  pillars  or  trellises,  though  of  less  rank  growth  than  the  wild 
climbers.  The  fine  old  crimson  rose,  known  as  George  the  Fourth, 
is  one  of  the  finest  of  this  class.  The  following  six  are  among  the 
most  desirable  varieties.  Those  marked  with  a ( P ) are  the  tallest 
growers,  and  may  be  used  for  post-roses.  The  descriptions  refer  to 
the  flowers. 

1.  Bizarre  de  la  China. — Crimson  purple,  globular  and  double. 

2.  Charles  Duval. — Deep  rose,  large,  and  well  formed. 

3.  Chenedolle  (P). — Brilliant  light  crimson,  large,  double,  and 
fragrant. 

4.  George  the  Fourth  ( P ). — Deep  velvety  crimson,  and  dark 
glossy  foliage. 

5.  La  Tourterelle  ( P ). — Dove  colored,  and  well  formed. 

6.  Madame  Plantier. — Pure  white,  blooms  in  great  clusters. 
The  best  white. 

Class  II.  Hybrid  Provence,  Damask,  and  French  Roses. — 
The  old  cabbage  or  hundred-leaved  rose  is  the  type  of  the  Provence 
roses,  which  are  noted  for  fragrance  and  globular  forms.  The 
damask  roses  are  of  shades  from  white  to  the  deepest  crimson. 
Those  which  of  late  years  are  known  as  French  or  Gallican  roses 
are  of  stiff  erect  growth,  and  the  foliage  is  rough  and  hard,  and  of 
a lighter  green  than  other  roses.  On  the  other  hand,  the  minia- 
ture roses  long  known  as  Burgundy  roses,  and  noted  for  their  dwarf 
habit,  in  all  respects  are  also  hybrids  of  this  class.  The  following 
half  dozen  are  among  the  choicest  of  all  these  sorts,  but  do  not  in- 
clude thS  Burgundys : 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


499 


1.  Blanche  Fleur. — Pure  white,  very  double,  in  clusters,  early 
and  profuse.  Low  bush. 

2.  Double  Margined  Hep. — Creamy  white,  edged  with  purplish- 
red  ; very  large. 

3.  Double  White  Sweet  Briar. — Pale  blush,  nearly  white,  very 
sweet. 

4.  George  Vibert. — Striped  red  and  white. 

5.  Madame  Hardy. — White,  full,  and  large. 

6.  Rivers  Superb  Tuscany. — Velvety  crimson. 

Class  III.  Moss  Roses. — Six  choice  varieties  are  subjoined. 

1.  Common  Blush.— Light  pink,  large ; grows  freely,  and  blooms 
profusely. 

2.  Baron  de  Wassenaer. — Bright  pink,  large ; flowers  in  clusters. 
Vigorous. 

3.  Countess  of  Murinais. — White,  large,  and  double  ; in  clusters. 
Vigorous. 

4.  Crested  Province.  — Rose-colored ; calyx  curiously  moss- 
fringed. 

5.  Lanei.  Rosy  crimson,  tinted  with  purple,  large  and  full. 

6.  Princess  Adelaide. — Light  rose,  very  large.  Growth  very 
vigorous,  and  adapted  to  be  grown  as  a post-rose. 

Class  IV.  Climbing  Roses. — This  class  embraces  the  Prairie, 
Boursault,  and  Ayrshire  roses,  which  are  hardy ; and  the  Mul- 
tiflora and  Evergreen  roses,  which  require  protection  in  the 
northern  and  middle  States. 

The  Prairie  Roses,  so  called,  are  supposed  to  be  hybrids  be- 
tween the  common  wild  single-flowered  pale-pink  climbing  rose  of 
our  woods,  and  old  garden  varieties.  But  there  is  little  resemblance 
between  what  are  now  known  as  prairie  roses  and  this  parent  from 
which  they  claim  descent.  The  wild  variety  blooms  later  than  any 
of  the  others,  and  is  always  single.  The  Queen  of  the  Prairies  is  a 
very  double  rose,  light  red,  and  a vigorous  grower.  The  Baltimore 
Belle  is  a blush  white,  very  double,  and  a profuse  bloomer,  but  not 
quite  hardy  in  exposed  situations.  These  are  the  best  varieties  of 
the  prairie  roses. 


500 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


The  Boursault  is  the  common  long  smooth-branched  climber, 
with  reddish  wood,  few  thorns,  and  semi-double  crimson  flowers  in 
clusters.  One  of  the  most  vigorous  growers  and  profuse  bloomers. 
The  new  variety,  known  as  the  Blush  Boursault , is  more  showy. 

The  Ayrshire  Roses  are  varieties  of  the  wild  field  roses  of  Eng- 
land and  Scotland,  and  have  a slenderer  but  not  shorter  growth 
than  the  vigorous  American  climbers,  and  creep  or  trail  rather 
more  than  our  natives.  Bennett's  Seedling ; which  has  a pure  white 
flower,  and  the  Queen  of  Ayrshire , a dark  purplish-crimson  flower, 
are  the  best  sorts.  They  are  best  adapted  to  cover  fences,  chains, 
low  trellises,  or  banks  of  earth,  their  natural  habit  being  like  that 
of  the  trailing  blackberry,  to  keep  close  to  the  ground. 

The  Multiflora  Roses  are  seedlings  from  China  roses,  and 
require  protection  at  the  north.  The  De  la  Grijferaie  and  Eugme 
Grdville,  or  Seven  Sisters , are  varieties  advertised  in  northern  nur- 
series; the  former  with  rosy  purple  flowers,  and  the  latter  with 
flowers  varying  from  blush  to  crimson.  The  latter  is  nearly  hardy. 

The  Evergreen  Roses,  not  being  perfectly  hardy,  do  not  fairly 
come  into  this  division,  but  as  they  are  June  roses,  they  do  not 
belong  with  the  second  division,  and  are  therefore  referred  to  here. 
They  are  natives  of  the  borders  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  in  the 
wild  state  single.  Beautiful  double  varieties  are  now  grown,  but 
principally  in  green-houses.  The  Felicite  Perpetue'e  is  one  of  the 
best,  and  may  be  grown  at  the  north  with  slight  protection. 

Class  V.  Yellow  Austrian  Roses. — This  class  has  few  vari- 
eties, and  is  represented  by  what  are  generally  known  as  the  Per - 
sia?i  Yellow  and  Harrison's  Yellow , beautiful  double  yellow  roses, 
growing  on  tall  delicate-leaved,  and  not  very  robust,  bushes ; and 
by  the  single  yellow  rose,  known  as  the  Austrian  Yellow , which  has 
a still  more  delicate  or  weakly  growth.  These  roses  are  among  the 
earliest  to  bloom.  The  single  roses  are  noted  for  their  disagree- 
able odor. 

Class  VI.  Wild  Bush  Roses. — In  the  opening  remarks  on  the 
rose  a few  of  these  have  been  referred  to.  As  they  are  little  grown 
in  nurseries,  and  inferior  to  cultivated  sorts,  it  is  needless  to  enumer- 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


501 


ate  them ; and  though  they  form  very  pleasing  clumps  when 
growing  wild,  it  is  not  certain  that  they  could  be  made  so  beautiful 
even  for  that  purpose  alone  as  selected  cultivated  sorts.  What  are 
known  as  the  Scotch  roses  are  valuable  only  for  the  extreme  earli- 
ness of  their  flowers.  Their  growth  is  slender,  stiff,  and  very  thorny, 
and  they  send  up  innumerable  suckers.  The  flowers  are  small, 
semi-double,  and  numerous. 


Division  II. — Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses  which  Bloom  More 
than  Once  each  Season. 

This  division  embraces  classes  of  roses  that  differ  widely  in 
many  respects.  Some  flower  but  twice,  others  are  in  almost  con- 
stant bloom  till  late  in  autumn.  Some  are  quite  hardy,  others  half- 
hardy,  others,  among  the  Noisette,  China,  and  tea  roses,  are  tender 
house-plants,  though  many  of  these  may  be  wintered  out  with  care- 
ful protection.  The  China  and  tea  roses  are  the  original  perpetuals, 
and  all  the  other  classes  have  been  created  by  hybridizing  with  one 
or  another  of  the  numerous  species  of  June  roses,  and  “breeding 
in-and-in  ” with  these  crosses  to  produce  all  the  varieties  now  in 
cultivation.  All  are  hybrid  perpetuals ; but  those  which  show 
some  resemblance  to  the  families  with  which  they  are  crossed  are 
separated  into  classes  as  follows : 

Class  I.  Perpetual  Moss  Roses. — The  name  signifies  their 
character.  The  following  are  good  sorts,  but  are  not  so  mossy  as 
the  parent  species,  blooming  in  June : 

1.  Alfred  de  D almas,  light  blush,  in  clusters  ; blooms  freely. 

2.  Eugenie  Guinoiseau , deep  cherry ; large,  and  quite  mossy. 

3.  Madame  Edward  Ory , rosy  carmine,  large  ; not  vigorous. 

4.  Pompom,  dark  crimson ; blooms  freely  in  autumn. 

5.  Perpetual  White,  white ; large  clusters  of  buds  and  flowers. 

6.  Salet,  bright  rose  ; quite  mossy ; a free  grower  and  bloomer. 

Class  II.  Hybrid  Perpetuals  or  Remontants. — Though  all 
the  roses  of  this  division  are  really  hybrid  perpetuals,  our  nursery- 


503 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


men  have  classified  certain  hardy  sorts  under  this  title,  which  is 
retained  on  that  account,  to  conform  to  usage.  The  class  embraces 
crosses  between  a great  number  of  species,  the  varieties  differing 
greatly  in  vigor  of  growth  and  foliage,  and  in  the  character  of  their 
flowers.  Some  bloom  but  twice,  others  show  only  an  occasional 
blossom  after  June,  and  some  bloom  constantly.  The  fine  old 
Madame  Laffay,  and  the  magnificent  newer  General  Jacqueminot, 
belong  to  this  class.  The  following  selection  of  eleven  are  among 
the  finest : 

1.  Baron  Prevost. — Deep  rose,  large  and  full ; a very  vigorous 
grower,  abundant  bloomer,  and  perfectly  hardy. 

2.  Caroline  de  Sansal. — Clear  delicate  light  blush,  very  large 
and  full ; foliage  luxuriant  and  growth  vigorous. 

3.  Gefieral  Washington . — Brilliant  red,  very  large;  “superb  in 
autumn.” 

4.  General  Jacqueminot. — Crimson  to  scarlet,  velvety,  and  of 
great  size.  Every  way  superb. 

5.  Madame  Laffay.  — Rosy  crimson,  large,  and  full. 

6.  Madame  Boutin. — Cherry  rose,  large,  and  full;  foliage  very 
fine. 

7.  Louise  Darzens. — Pure  white,  medium  size  ; blooms  in  clus- 
ters, and  constantly. 

8.  Madame  Alfred  de  Rougemont. — Pure  white,  large,  and  a 
profuse  bloomer. 

9.  Due  de  Cazes. — Purplish  crimson. 

10.  John  Hopper. — Deep  rose,  large,  and  full. 

11.  Mrs.  Elliott  (P.). — Rosy  purple,  large,  full,  and  sweet. 
Suitable  for  a post-rose. 

Class  III.  Bourbon  Roses. — A race  of  which  Parkman  re- 
marks— “Of  sweeter  savor  in  horticulture  than  in  history.”  They 
are  not  quite  hardy,  and  have  less  vigor  of  growth  than  the  pre- 
ceding class,  but  are  mostly  rich  in  glossy  foliage,  of  stronger 
growth  than  the  tea  and  Noisette  roses,  and  sufficiently  robust  to 
remain  out  throughout  the  winter  writh  proper  protection.  Growth 
from  two  to  six  feet.  The  following  eight  are  favorite  vari- 
eties : 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


503 


1.  Duchess  de  Thuringen. — Light  blush,  free  bloomer;  vig- 
orous. 

2.  Hermosa. — Flesh  color,  large,  and  full,  blooms  profusely. 
Good  grower. 

3.  George  Peabody. — Dark  velvety  crimson. 

4.  Sir  Joseph  Paxton. — Bright  rose,  shaded  with  crimson, 
large  and  full.  Growth  very  vigorous. 

5.  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison. — Pale  flesh  ; very  large  and  full. 
Once  considered  the  most  splendid  rose  of  its  class. 

6.  Souve?iir  de  /’ Exposition. — Dark  crimson  ; free  bloomer. 

7.  Marquise  Balbiano. — Bright  rose,  in  clusters  ; fragrant. 

8.  Pierre  de  St.  Cyr  (P.). — Pale  rose,  large  and  full. 

Class  IV.  Noisette,  Tea,  and  China  Roses. — Of  these 
the  Noisettes  and  the  tea-roses  are  the  stronger  growers,  some  of 
them  forming  quite  fine  bushes  of  secondary  size.  The  foliage  is 
smooth  and  fine,  and  the  flowers  of  the  Noisettes  are  borne  in  clus- 
ters. All  are  tender,  but  many  of  them  may  be  left  in  the  ground 
through  the  winter  if  skillfully  covered  in  the  fall.  The  tea  roses 
are  noted  for  the  delicacy  of  their  colors,  and  their  delicious 
fragrance.  The  China  (or  Bengal)  roses  are  the  most  delicate  in 
growth,  and  the  least  hardy;  and  require  to  be  removed  to  a 
green-house,  plant-room,  or  cellar,  after  the  first  strong  frosts. 

The  following  is  a select  list  of  good  varieties  of  Noisette  and 
tea  roses: 

1.  Aimee  Vibert. — Pure  white,  small  cupped  flowers,  in  clus- 
ters. Bush  small  and  low.  One  of  the  hardiest. 

2.  Caroline  Marniesse. — White,  with  creamy  centre,  small  per- 
fect flowers,  and  a profuse  bloomer. 

3.  Solfaterre. — Saffron-yellow,  fragrant  and  fine. 

4.  Celine  Forester. — Pale  yellow,  large,  full  and  hardy. 

5.  Isabella  Gray. — The  deepest  yellow. 

6.  Jane  Hardy.  Golden  yellow,  very  double,  free  bloomer, 
and  rich  foliage. 

7.  Lamarque. — Pale  lemon-yellow,  very  large  flowers. 

8.  Marechal  Niel. — Deep  yellow,  very  large,  full,  and  fra- 
grant. New,  and  of  distinguished  beauty. 


504 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


Tea-scented  Roses. — Eight  choice  varieties  : 

1.  Bougere. — Deep,  rosy  bronze,  large.  Vigorous  plant. 

2.  Fleur  de  Cypress.  — Bright  rose,  shaded  with  salmon. 
Strong  grower  and  free  bloomer. 

3.  Glory  of  Dijon. — Yellow,  shaded  with  salmon ; large  and 
full.  Growth  vigorous. 

4.  Ge'ne'ral  Tartas. — Deep  rose,  large  and  double. 

5.  Madame  de  Vatry. — Deep  rose,  shaded  with  crimson.  “ The 
darkest  tea  rose.” 

6.  Pauline  Plantier. — White,  tinged  with  yellow. 

7.  Triumph  de  Pens. — Rosy  salmon,  very  large  ; free  grower 
and  bloomer. 

8.  Safrano. — Buff  and  rose,  one  of  the  hardiest. 

China  Roses. — The  following  is  a list  of  eight  good  varieties  : 

1.  Agrippina. — Deep  velvety  crimson,  small.  Growth  delicate, 
but  blooms  profusely. 

2.  Archduke  Charles. — Pale  rose,  changing  to  crimson ; very 
large  and  full. 

3.  Eugene  Beauharnais. — Amaranth,  large  and  full. 

4.  Impe'ratrice  Eugenie. — Clear  rose,  shaded  with  salmon; 
large  and  sweet. 

5.  Louis  Philippe. — Dark  crimson,  blush  centre ; large. 

6.  Sanguinea. — Deep  crimson,  small,  but  a profuse  and  con- 
stant bloomer. 

7.  Mrs.  Bosanquet. — Flesh-color,  large  and  double. 

8.  Clara  Sylvain. — Pure  white. 

The  foregoing  lists  embrace  a very  small  number  out  of  hun- 
dreds which  may  be  named  by  rose-growers  that  are  nearly  or 
quite  as  fine,  and  are  chosen  only  to  facilitate  a selection  by  per- 
sons not  familiar  with  varieties.  The  best  manner  of  arranging 
and  growing  rose-bushes  depends  very  much  on  one’s  means  and 
space.  Where  one  can  have  but  few,  single  plants  in  a walk 
border  give  the  most  pleasure,  and  these  may  be  either  in  the 
natural  bush  form,  or  in  tree  form.  The  delicate  China  and  tea 
roses  must  necessarily  be  in  shrub  form,  in  order  to  be  protected 

& 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


505 


or  removed  in  winter;  and  the  smooth-leaved  hardier  hybrid 
China,  either  June,  or  perpetual,  in  tree  form.  With  stout,  thrifty 
stocks,  it  requires  but  little  time,  if  one  understands  budding  roses, 
to  produce  low  rose  trees,  like  the  one  shown  in  Fig.  165  ; and  as 
these  take  up  less  room  on  the  ground,  and  present  a more  gar- 
denesque  appearance,  it  is  much  the  best  mode  of  showing  a 
variety  of  roses  in  a limited  space,  especially  bordering  straight 
walks ; as  a number  of  different  varieties  may  be  grown  on  the 
same  stem.  Another  beautiful  mode  of  making  good  rose- 
standards  for  the  centres  of  beds,  is  to  bud  upon  a strong  stock 
all  the  way  up,  or  on  its  side  branches,  so  as  to  make  a cone  or 
tower  of  foliage  supported  on  one  stem,  but  composed  of  several 
hardy  varieties  budded  into  it,  and  displaying  their  foliage  and 
flowers  from  the  bottom  to  the  top.  As  such  cones,  or  rose-towers, 
may  easily  be  bound  up,  and  protected  in  winter  with  straw  or 
evergreen  boughs,  the  finest  half-hardy  roses  may  be  used  on  them. 
Where  there  is  a good  breadth  of  lawn,  a variety  of  roses,  massed 
in  beds,  will  have  the  best  effect. 

To  produce  fine  roses,  a deeply-drained  soil,  enriched  to  the 
highest  degree,  and  manured  annually,  is  essential.  Those  who 
wish  to  make  a specialty  of  the  rose,  should  procure  Parkman’s 
Book  of  Roses. 


Plate  No.  XXXI. 

The  accompanying  plate  shows  a variety  of  forms  for  rose-beds, 
some  of  which  may  be  adapted  to  almost  any  place  which  has  a 
lawn.  We  will  suggest,  briefly,  the  roses  that  will  produce  a good 
effect  grouped  in  these  beds  : 

Bed,  Fig.  I. — This  may  have  a fine  tree-rose  in  the  centre, 
budded  with  such  hybrid  perpetuals  as  any  of  the  list  in  Division 
II,  Class  II,  so  that  the  head  shall  be  a great  bouquet  of  many- 
colored  roses.  At  2,  3,  4,  and  5,  plant  from  the  same  list  those 
which  will  make  the  best  variety  of  colors  in  the  group,  and 
keep  well-rounded  bushy  forms.  The  four  should  be  kept  equal 
in  height,  not  exceeding  three  feet,  and  the  tree-rose  should  be 
grafted,  or  budded,  about  three  or  four  feet  from  the  ground.  The 


506 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


first  season,  or  until  the  bushes  planted  at  the  four  figures  meet, 
small  half-hardy  monthly  roses  from  Class  IV  may  be  planted  in 
the  bays  of  the  bed,  such  as  the  Aimee  Vibert , Jane  Hardy , 
Fleur  de  Cypress,  and  General  Tartas.  Or  the  bed  may  be  com- 
pletely filled  between  the  larger  plants  first  named  with  the  old 
China  roses  from  the  last  list  of  Class  IV. 

Bed,  Fig.  2,  is  an  odd  form,  occasionally  suitable  for  the  inter- 
section of  two  walks.  This  one  is  intended  to  be  on  a walk  circling 
near  the  inner  or  longest  side  of  the  bed,  and  to  be  planted  with 
bush  roses  from  Division  If,  as  follows : at  1,  Baron  Prevost ; at 
4,  Ge'neral  Jacqueminot,  with  Caroline  de  Sansal  on  one  side  at  3, 
and  Madame  Bouton  on  the  other  at  5 ; the  Louise  Darzens  at  6, 
and  the  Due  de  Cazes  at  2.  The  bushes  at  1 and  4 should  be  of 
stronger  growth  than  the  others,  so  that  the  outline  of  foliage  will 
rise  from  the  ends  to  the  centre  of  the  bed. 

Bed,  Fig.  3. — This  is  a very  large  bed,  designed  for  a post, 
pillar,  or  trellis  in  the  centre.  At  1 and  2,  plant  Queen  of  the 
Prairies  and  Baltimore  Belle,  which  bloom  in  June  only,  and  at  the 
opposite  sides  of  the  post  (no  figures  on  the  plan)  the  Baron  Pre- 
vost and  Caroline  de  Sansal.  At  n,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  and  18, 
we  would  have  a circle  of  strong-stemmed  tree  roses,  grafted  and 
budded  with  hardy  varieties  of  perpetual  and  hardy  Bourbon  roses 
from  Classes  II  and  III  of  Division  II.  Between  these,  in  the 
same  circle,  tea  or  China  roses  should  be  sunk  in  pots,  so  that  all 
the  ground  may  be  covered  with  a mass  of  rose  foliage.  At  7,  8, 
9,  and  10,  plant  from  the  classes  last  mentioned  the  most  robust 
sorts,  to  be  grown  as  bushes ; and  at  the  ends  3,  4,  5,  6,  plant 
Nos.  4,  5,  6,  and  7,  from  the  select  list  of  Bourbon  roses.  When 
these  roses  are  full-grown,  they  should  cover  the  bed  completely ; 
but  until  they  do,  the  spaces  may  be  filled  with  choice  spreading 
cluster-flowered  roses  of  the  Noisette,  tea,  and  China  classes. 

Bed,  Fig.  4. — The  circle  is  ordinarily  the  best  form  for  a rose- 
bed.  This  one  is  represented  eight  feet  in  diameter,  which  is 
perhaps  too  large  for  the  number  of  plants  in  it,  unless  they  be 
sorts  of  pretty  bushy  growth.  The  centre  should  have  either  a very 
strong  rose  tree,  or  a bush  of  sufficient  vigor  to  rise  above  the 
roses  that  are  planted  around  it.  The  tree,  if  well  headed  out,  will 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


507 


be  best.  The  surrounding  circle  of  eight  plants  we  would  make 
Nos.  i,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  8,  and  io,  of  our  select  list  of  hybrid  per- 
petual roses.  Or  two  sets  of  bushes  may  be  planted  around  the 
central  rose-tree;  say  four,  consisting  of  Nos.  i,  2,  4,  and  8 of  the 
list  just  mentioned,  planted  equidistant  two  feet  from  the  centre, 
with  a circle  of  twelve  or  sixteen  Noisette,  tea  or  China  roses  around 
them.  The  first-named  list  will,  however,  fill  the  bed  completely 
in  two  or  three  years.  If  a pillar,  and  climbing  roses,  should  be 
preferred  to  the  tree-rose  for  a centre,  the  Queen  of  the  Prairies 
and  Baltimore  Belle  may  be  used. 

Bed,  Fig.  5. — This  bed  is  supposed  to  be  near  a walk  on  its 
longest  side,  and  to  have  a row  of  chioce  hybrid  perpetual  or  Bour- 
bon roses  in  the  middle  of  the  part  parallel  with  the  walk ; and  at 
3 and  4,  in  the  centre,  a low  post  for  some  perpetual  pillar  roses, 
like  Mrs.  Elliott  and  Pierre  de  St.  Cyr. 

Bed,  Fig.  6. — This  is  a pretty  form  for  a large  bed,  and  very 
simple  to  lay  out,  being  on  a hexagonal  plan,  where  the  distance 
of  each  circle  from  the  centre  may  measure  the  distance  from  one 
plant  to  another  in  that  circle.  The  centre  is  to  have  a post,  for, 
say  the  Baltimore  Belle  and  Queen  of  the  Prairies  for  June  bloom, 
and  Mrs.  Elliott  and  Pierre  de  St.  Cyr  for  autumn  flowers.  In 
the  circle  three  feet  from  the  centre  are  places  for  six  hybrid  per- 
petual or  Bourbon  roses  of  strong  growth;  and  on  the  outside, 
four  feet  from  the  centre  and  five  feet  apart,  six  smaller  and  bushy 
varieties  of  the  Noisette,  tea,  or  China  varieties.  In  the  latter 
places  (marked  9 to  14  inclusive),  three  sorts  of  the  smaller  and 
delicate  roses  last  named  may  be  planted,  instead  of  one,  so  that 
each  little  mass  or  projection  of  the  bed  will  form  a group  of  low 
rose-bushes  with  flowers  of  contrasting  colors. 

Bed,  Fig.  7. — This  should  have  a high  compact  bush  in  the 
centre,  or  post-roses,  on  a short  support  entirely  concealed  by  the 
foliage.  The  Mrs.  Elliott  and  Caroline  de  Sansal  side  by  side,  and 
kept  together  either  with  a hoop  or  with  the  post  just  suggested, 
would  make  a beautiful  centre-bush ; and  for  the  three  ends  of  the 
bed  strong  plants  of  the  Bourbon  roses,  Hermosa , Sir  Joseph  Paxton} 
and  Souvenir  de  1 Exposition,  which  will  represent  flesh  color,  bright 
rose,  and  deep  crimson.  If  a pure  white  rose  is  desired  in  the 


508 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


place  of  one  of  these,  take  Louise  Darzens  or  Madame  Alfred  de 
Rougemont ; and  for  a yellow  rose,  Marechal  Neil.  These  end 
bushes  should  be  managed  so  that  they  will  be  pretty  nearly  equal 
in  size,  and  about  three  or  four  feet  high,  while  the  centre  one 
should  be  two  feet  higher.  The  first  year  the  bed  between  these 
plants  may  be  filled  with  trailing  flowers ; but  if  the  roses  have  done 
well  the  first  year,  they  should  cover  the  bed  thereafter. 

Bed,  Fig.  8. — A bed  of  this  form  may  be  appropriately  filled 
out  of  any  of  the  lists  we  have  named,  but  perpetual  roses  are  pref- 
erable, and  we  suggest  for  the  centre  at  i,  the  Caroline  de  Sansal;  at 
2,  Celine  Forestier  or  Jatie  Hardy ; at  3,  Aimee  Vibert;  at  4,  Marechal 
Neil ; at  5,  Caroline  Marniesse.  This  will  give  blush-flowers  in  the 
centre,  golden-yellow  on  each  side,  and  white  at  the  ends.  Another 
selection  of  more  decided  colors  may  be  for  the  centre,  General 
Jacqueminot , deep  crimson  ; at  2,  Hermosa , flesh  color ; at  3,  Caro- 
line  Marniesse,  white  ; at  4,  Madame  Boutin , cherry-rose  ; at  5,  Jane 
Hardy  or  Marechal  Neil,  golden-yellow.  This  will  shade  the  bed 
from  deep  crimson  to  white  on  one  side  and  to  the  richest  yellow 
on  the  other. 

Bed,  Fig.  9. — This  is  a great  bed,  appropriate  only  where  there 
is  ample  lawn  room,  and  if  skillfully  managed  is  large  enough  to 
constitute  a very  respectable  rose-garden.  An  inspection  will  show 
it  to  be  arranged  on  an  octagonal  plan,  with  roses  in  straight  lines 
from  the  centre,  and  in  decreasing  distances  apart  towards  the  out- 
side. This  arrangement  enables  the  cultivator  to  get  at  all  the 
roses  conveniently  from  the  lawn,  which  is  deeply  scolloped  into 
the  bed  between  its  projecting  lines.  The  lawn  might  perhaps  run 
to  points  towards  the  centre,  and  thus  expose  less  soil  to  view 
between  the  lines  of  rose-bushes.  This  bed  should  have  a substan- 
tial post  or  pillar  in  the  centre,  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  and  at  the  foot 
of  it  two  prairie  roses,  and  two  of  the  rankest  climbing  perpetual 
roses,  say  the  Caroline  de  Sansal  and  Mrs.  Elliott.  Four  feet  from 
the  centre  of  the  post,  at  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10,  n,  and  12,  permanent 
stakes  about  five  feet  high  should  be  set,  and  on  each  side  of 
them  pairs  of  strong  growing  roses  from  the  hybrid  perpetual  list; 
making  sixteen  plants  of  eight  varieties.  Each  radiating  line  beyond 
these  might  approximate  to  one  tone  of  color,  so  that  whatever  colors 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


509 


are  placed  at  5 and  6 may  have  somewhat  similar  shades  at  13,  13, 
and  14,  14,  of  smaller  growing  sorts.  At  from  13  to  20  inclusive, 
next  to  the  above,  selections  of  the  bushiest  growers  may  be  made 
from  Classes  I,  II,  and  III  of  Division  II.  The  outside  figures  of 
the  same  numbers  represent  the  most  vigorous  roses  from  Classes 
III  or  IV  of  the  same  division.  Outside  of  these,  near  the  lawn, 
each  of  the  eight  projecting  parts  of  the  bed  may  have  seven  China 
and  tea  roses  bedded  out  in  the  spring,  and  removed  in  the 
fall.  Or  by  making  the  projecting  parts  of  the  beds  narrower,  these 
may  be  dispensed  with.  The  number  of  roses  indicated  to  fill  this 
bed  is  as  follows  : For  the  centre  four ; for  the  first  circle  sixteen  ; 

for  the  second  circle  eight ; for  the  third  eight ; and  around  each 
of  the  outside  ends  of  the  lines  seven  pot-roses.  The  bed,  there- 
fore, would  require  thirty-six  permanent  roots,  and  fifty-six  pot- 
plants  , but  the  latter  may  be  dispensed  with.  As  no  large  bed 
like  this  should  be  laid  out  except  by  those  who  are  either  well 
versed  in  roses,  or  who  employ  good  gardeners,  it  is  not  necessary 
to  name  the  roses  for  each  place  in  it. 

Bed,  Fig.  10,  is  too  simple  to  require  a selection  named  in  de- 
tail. A bed  of  that  size  we  would  recommend  to  crowd  full  of 
noisette,  tea,  and  China  roses,  the  largest  in  the  centre,  although 
only  three  places  are  figured ; three  bushes  being  enough  to  fill  it 
if  the  largest  kinds  are  selected. 

Bed,  Fig.  ii,  is  a bed  supposed  to  be  near  a walk  on  its 
straight  side,  for  a compact  mass  of  low-growing  Noisette,  tea,  and 
China  roses  from  Class  IV. 


THE  CANADA  RHODORA.  Rhodora  canadensis. 

A little  mountain  shrub,  growing  in  wet  places,  and  noticeable 
for  the  extreme  earliness  of  its  pale  purple  flowers,  which  bloom  in 
terminal  clusters,  before  the  leaves  expand,  in  April  and  May. 
Height  two  to  three  feet.  A pretty  companion  for  the  flowering 
almond  and  the  Japan  quince. 


510 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


THE  SPIRAEA,  Spircea. 

It  is  a curious  fact  that  this  native  shrub,  growing  wild  in  num- 
berless varieties  all  over  the  country,  has  but  recently  attracted 
great  attention  as  a garden  shrub.  Few  families  of  shrubs  vary  so 
widely  in  their  forms,  leaves,  and  flowers  as  the  spiraea,  and  the 
species  and  varieties  recently  brought  into  notice  are  so  numerous 
that  we  shall  make  no  attempt  to  name  them.  The  following  list 
of  a dozen  sorts  it  is  believed  will  embrace  the  best  characteristics 
of  the  family,  beginning  with  the  smaller  varieties : 

Spircea  callosa  alba. — A low,  broad,  compact  bush,  two  to  three 
feet  high.  Flowers  a dull  white,  in  corymbs  three  inches  in  diame- 
ter, from  May  to  October  and  November.  Foliage  dense,  and  a 
light  green  color.  A French  seedling  from  the  following : 

Spircea  floribunda. — A low  spreading  bush,  two  to  three  feet 
high.  Flowers  in  spikes,  white,  changing  to  pale  red ; July  and 
August.  Foliage  light  green,  and  looks  well  after  the  flowering  is 
over. 

Spircea  callosa  fortunii. — An  upright  grower,  apt  to  get  bare  of 
leaves  at  the  bottom,  so  as  to  need  cutting  back  occasionally. 
Height  three  to  four  feet.  Flowers,  in  superb  panicles,  four  to  six 
inches  in  diameter,  of  a bright  red  color;  June  to  October.  Fo- 
liage opens  a dull  red  color,  and  changes  to  purplish-green. 

Spircea  oximea.  — A compact  bush,  spreading  considerably 
around  the  root  by  suckers.  Height  three  to  four  feet.  Flowers 
in  large  terminal  spikes,  from  June  to  October;  color  bright  rose 
to  deep  red.  Foliage  light  green. 

Spircea  trilobata. — A very  broad,  oblate-headed,  low  shrub,  with 
branches  spreading  horizontally,  and  bearing  flat  clusters  of  white 
flowers  in  May.  When  out  of  bloom  it  is  a massy-foliaged  low  bush 
of  pleasing  color  and  form.  Height  three  to  four  feet,  and  much 
greater  breadth,  forming  a broad  flat  head  when  growing  alone. 

Spircea  thunbergia. — This  is  a variety  of  the  willow-leaved  spi- 
raeas, with  light  very  small  willowy  leaves  and  white  blossoms,  about 
the  end  of  April.  Noticeable  for  the  extreme  delicacy  of  its  foliage 
spray. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


511 


Spircea  Reevesi  flore  plena.  — A 
shrub  of  very  graceful  spreading 
growth.  The  branches,  on  old  bushes, 
assume  a curved  form,  their  tips  touch- 
ing the  ground.  Flowers  white,  very 
double  ; May  and  June.  Foliage  deep 
green,  and  not  glossy.  Height  four  to 
six  feet,  with  a greater  breadth.  Fig. 

1 66  shows  the  characteristic  form  of 
this  variety. 

Spircea  Van  Houtti. — A graceful  spreading  shrub,  with  deep 
rose-colored  flowers  in  June.  Height  six  feet. 

Spircea  prunifolia. — One  of  the  most  common  and  most  beauti- 
ful, but  apt  to  be  undervalued,  when  first  planted,  on  account  of  its 
apparently  stiff  and  twiggy  habit,  and  many  suckers ; but  when  it 
becomes  an  old  bush,  it  has  quite  another  appearance.  Then  its 
long  slender  branches  arch  gracefully  towards  the  lawn,  and  its 
small  and  very  glossy  oval  leaves  form  pleasing  masses  of  foliage 
of  a fine  dark  green  in  summer,  and  a rich  purple  or  crimson  in 
autumn.  Flowers  white,  in  May  and  June.  Height  six  to  eight 
feet,  and  very  broad  at  maturity  if  allowed  room  for  expansion. 

Spircea  billardi. — A strong  upright  grower,  in  form  like  the 
althea.  Flowers  red,  in  long  terminal  spikes  ; in  bloom  from  June 
to  October.  Foliage  light  green.  Height  six  to  eight  feet.  It 
should  be  planted  behind  low  full-foliaged  shrubs,  as  it  becomes 
bare  near  the  ground. 

The  Golden  Snowball  Spiraea.  S.  opulifolia  aurea. — This 
variety  forms  a great  round  bush,  ten  to  twelve  feet  high.  Flowers 
white,  in  June.  Foliage  a yellowish-green,  abundant  and  massy. 

White  Beam-leaved  Spiraea.  S.  ariafolia. — A strong  upright 
grower,  native  of  Vancouver’s  Island,  distinguished  for  the  great 
size  and  fragrance  of  its  spikes  of  flowers,  which  are  sometimes 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  in  length.  They  are  a yellowish-white 
color,  and  appear  in  July.  Height  ten  to  twelve  feet. 

The  Spircea  japonica(t) — This  is  a compact  dwarf,  with  a com- 
pound leaf  of  many  leaflets,  and  long  spikes  of  flowers  projected 
beyond  the  foliage.  Height  one  to  two  feet. 


512 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS . 


THE  STUARTIA.  Stuartia. 

The  Stuartia.  S.  Pentagynia . — A splendid  native  shrub,  from 
seven  to  twelve  feet  high,  found  wild  in  the  mountains  of  the  middle 
and  southern  States  ; long  known,  but  only  recently  much  planted 
in  this  country.  Its  flowers,  of  a creamy  white,  from  three  to  four 
inches  in  diameter,  appear  in  July  and  August.  It  is  not  quite 
hardy  in  the  northern  States,  and  requires  a sheltered  situation,  and 
about  the  same  protection  as  a chionanthus.  It  is  a noble-flowering 
shrub,  and  well  worth  the  care  required  to  grow  it.  It  does  best 
in  a deep,  moist,  sandy  loam,  and  a shady  spot.  The  foliage  re- 
sembles that  of  the  dogwood,  and  in  autumn  turns  to  a dark  red- 
dish purple.  There  is  a noble  bush-tree  of  this  species  in  open 
ground  at  Parsons’  nurseries  at  Flushing,  ten  feet  high,  and  six- 
teen feet  in  diameter. 

The  Virginia  Stuartia,  5.  virginica , resembles  the  preceding 
in  general  appearance,  but  is  a smaller  bush,  and  not  quite  so 
hardy.  It  is  a fine  shrub  when  out  of  blossom,  and  very  showy 
during  its  blooming  season,  which  is  the  same  as  the  preceding. 

Both  these  varieties,  where  they  can  be  well  grown,  are  superb 
acquisitions  to  shrubberies.  They  are  reported  not  hardy  at  Ro- 
chester, but  do  well  at  Flushing,  L.  I.  Their  very  late  period  of 
bloom,  and  their  great  showiness  when  in  flower,  will  render  them 
favorites  wherever  the  climate  is  such  that  they  can  be  grown  with 
certainty. 

THE  STAPHYLIA.  Staphylia. 

The  Bladder-nut  Tree.  Staphylia  trifolia. — A shrub  or 
small  tree,  indigenous  in  moist  places  from  Canada  to  South  Caro- 
lina. It  sends  out  an  abundance  of  suckers  from  the  base  of  the 
stem ; but  if  these  are  rubbed  off  as  they  appear,  it  forms  a 
handsome  low  tree.  Flowers  small,  whitish,  in  May  and  June. 
Leaf  formed  of  three  acuminate  serrate  leaflets.  Nuts  in  a 
bladdery  capsule,  white ; ripe  in  October.  Height  six  to  twelve 
feet. 


DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


513 


The  Pinnate-leaved  Staphylia  or  Bladder-nut  Tree. 
S.  pinnata. — A European  species  long  known  in  shrubberies. 
Leaves  with  five  small  leaflets.  More  vigorous  in  habit  than  the 
preceding,  and  of  such  singular  appearance,  when  loaded  in  autumn 
with  its  seed-capsules,  as  to  be  cultivated  principally  for  that 
peculiarity'.  Like  the  preceding,  it  is  a smooth-branching  shrub, 
throwing  up  many  side-suckers.  Naked  young  wood,  greenish, 
with  green  buds.  Flowers  same  as  the  preceding  sort.  Height  six 
to  twelve  feet. 


THE  ST.  PETERSWORT,  OR  WAXBERRY. 

Symphoricarpus. 

Some  of  this  very  pretty  class  of  little  shrubs  are  also  known  as 
the  snowberries.  All  of  them  are  nearly  related  to  the  tartarian 
honeysuckles.  Low  native  shrubs,  with  small  flowers  of  several 
colors,  and  small  waxen  berries,  which  hang  on  through  a part  of  the 
winter. 

The  White-berried,  or  Common  Waxberry,  S.  racemosas, 
is  a bushy  shrub,  with  small  rose-colored  flowers,  from  July  to 
September,  and  white,  oval  berries,  about  a half  inch  in  length. 
The  berries,  hanging  in  ropes  on  the  branches,  are  quite  orna- 
mental, and  much  used  for  large  winter  bouquets. 

The  Red-berried  Waxberry,  S.  vulgaris , has  very  small 
leaves,  flowers,  and  fruit,  but  the  leaves  appear  early,  and  hang 
quite  late,  and  the  shrub  forms  one  of  the  most  perfect  of  minia- 
ture trees  when  growing  quite  alone  ; with  a breadth  double  its 
height,  but  with  side-branches  projected  as  boldly,  and  falling 
gracefully  as  those  of  a low,  broad,  weeping  elm  ; and  all  within 
the  compass  of  three  feet  in  height,  and  four  or  five  feet  in  breadth. 
Flowers  small,  red  and  yellow,  in  August  and  September.  Fruit 
purple  ; ripe  in  December. 


33 


CHAPTER  V. 


H 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

AVING  in  the  chapter  on  the  Characteristics  of  Trees, 
pages  294  and  295,  treated  of  the  relative  value  of 
evergreen  and  deciduous  trees  for  home  embellishment, 
the  reader  is  referred  to  those  observations  as  embodying 
a comparison  of  the  beauties  and  advantages  of  the  two  classes. 

In  the  descriptions  which  follow,  it  has  been  the  aim  to  group 
families  of  evergreens  under  popular  names  that  will  give  the  best 
suggestion  of  the  general  characteristics  of  the  group,  and  under . 
one  popular  name,  sometimes  to  class  several  distinct  but  allied 
genera,  giving  at  the  same  time  the  several  botanical  names  which 
are  thus,  for  the  convenience  of  readers  little  versed  in  such  mat- 
ters, grouped  together  : and  following  the  botanical  nomenclature 
and  arrangement,  as  far  as  any  is  attempted,  of  George  Gordon, 
A.  L.  S.,  of  England,  as  given  in  his  work  on  the  Conifers , en- 
titled “ The  Pinetum.” 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 


515 


THE  PINES.  Finns. 

The  hardy  pines  of  the  temperate  zone  will  be  grouped  in  three 
divisions : First,  those  which  are  indigenous  on  the  Atlantic  slope 
of  the  United  States  ; second,  those  which  are  indigenous  on  the  Pa- 
cific slope  of  the  United  States,  including  a few  from  the  highlands 
of  Mexico ; third,  those  which  are  indigenous  in  Europe  and  Asia. 
The  latter  division  embraces  a larger  number  than  the 'others  of 
species  which  have  proved  desirable  for  embellishment ; and  from 
the  fact  that  the  most  valuable  of  these  have  been  in  cultivation  for 
many  centuries,  and  developed  many  interesting  varieties,  they  are 
rendered  additionally  interesting. 

Pine  trees  are  generally  distinguished  from  other  families  of 
evergreens  by  the  greater  length  of  their  needle  leaves,  and  the  fact 
of  their  being  grouped  in  two’s,  three’s,  and  five’s,  issuing  from  a 
common  sheath.  Botanists  classify  them,  in  part,  by  the  number 
of  leaves  to  the  sheath. 


Pines  of  the  United  States  on  the  Atlantic  Slope. 

The  White  Pine.  Finns  strobus. — Though  in  one  kind  of 
beauty  or  another,  separately  considered,  the  white  pine  may  be 
excelled  by  many  other  trees,  we  know  of  no  hardy  evergreen  of 
the  temperate  zone  that  unites  so  many  elements  of  beauty,  pictur- 
esqueness and  utility,  as  this  noble  native  of  our  own  forests.  In 
grandeur  of  elevation,  and  in  the  beauty  of  its  columnar  trunk, 
regarded  merely  as  a forest  tree,  it  ranks  among  trees  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  as  the  red-wood  or  big-tree  (sequoia)  and  Doug- 
lass spruce  of  California  among  the  more  colossal  trees  of  the 
Pacific  slope.  The  white  pine  forests  of  Maine,  New  York,  and  the 
northwestern  States,  furnish  our  country  with  more  than  half  of  all 
the  wood  used  in  its  buildings.  It  is  recorded  on  high  authority 
that  trees  have  been  cut  in  Maine  measuring  upwards  of  two 
hundred  feet  in  height.  Frigate  main-masts  one  hundred  and  eight 
feet  in  length  have  been  made  of  single  pieces  of  its  timber.  The 
fact  that  this  tree  is  of  such  vast  use  in  the  arts  has  caused  it  to  be 


516  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


A WHITE  PINE  GROWING  ON  “ MONTGOMERY  PLACE,”  BARKYTOWN,  N.  Y. 


regarded  as  merely  a timber  tree ; the  idea  of  beauty  being  falsely 
dis-associated  with  things  of  great  utility.  The  value  of  its  timber 
has  also  deprived  the  country  of  nearly  all  the  grand  specimens 
which  doubtless  grew  here  and  there  in  open  ground  a century  ago, 
but  are  now  very  rare.  New  England  owes  a debt  of  gratitude 
to  the  impecunious  quality  of  its  elms,  which  have  consequently 
been  left  to  enrich  her  villages  with  their  beauty.  We  had  travelled 
for  years  through  the  northern  States,  and  looked  in  vain  to  find  a 
single  full  grown  white  pine  which  had  developed  from  youth  to 
maturity  in  open  ground!  Fig.  168  is  a portrait  of  one  of  a very 
few  that  we  have  since  seen.  It  is  a magnificent  specimen,  ninety 
feet  across  the  spread  of  its  lower  branches,  and  of  equal  height, 
found  on  the  old  Livingston  estate,  known  as  “ Montgomery  place,” 
the  residence  of  Mrs.  C.  L.  Barton,  near  Barrytown  on  the  Hudson. 
An  engraving  cannot  do  justice  to  the  softly  shaded  tuftings  of  its. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  517 


fine  masses  of  verdure,  its  deep  shadows,  or  the  wing-like  expan- 
sion of  its  massive  lower  branches.  The  vertical  growth  on  the 
left  which  shows  like  a distinct  small  tree  behind  it  is  really  a 
sprout,  issuing  from  a great  horizontal  limb  forty  feet  from  the 
trunk  like  a perfectly  formed  distinct  tree,  and  twenty-five  feet  in 
height ! In  an  open  field  near  the  Delaware  water  gap  in  Pennsyl- 
vania is  a white  pine  but  fifty  feet  high,  with  an  oblate  top  like  a 
park  oak,  its  branches  radiating  at  about  fifteen  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  covering  a space  nearly  seventy  feet  in  diameter,  and 
forming  a head  of  softly-rounded  masses  of  foliage  as  dense  as 
those  of  the  sugar  maple. 

A pine  tree  recently  cut  in  Columbia  County,  Pennsylvania,  had 
its  trunk  sawed  into  nine  logs,  whose  united  lengths  were  one 
hundred  and  thirty-six  feet ; the  smallest  log  being  eleven  inches  in 
diameter  at  the  top  ! Allowing  four  feet  for  the  height  of  the  stump, 
this  would  make  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  height  of  heavy 
timber  in  the  trunk.  The  branching  above  this  part  of  the  trunk 
must  have  made  the  tree  from  one  hundred  and  sixty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  feet  in  height  as  it  stood.  Imagine  a tree  with 
such  inherent  vigor  expanding  in  an  open  park,  and  it  does  not 
seem  unreasonable  to  believe  that  it  might  attain  dimensions  not 
inferior  to  the  historic  grandeur  of  the  cedars  of  Lebanon. 

Though  the  white  pine  attains  such  colossal  height,  and  occa- 
sionally great  breadth,  it  is  not  so  far  unsuited  to  the  requirements 
of  small  grounds  as  might  be  inferred.  It  is  a manageable  tree. 
When  its  main  stem  attains  a height  of  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet 
it  can  be  cut  back,  to  make  a more  spreading  tree.  Its  foliage  is 
much  more  massive,  and  the  lights  and  shadows  bolder  and  more 
varied  when  thus  treated.  If  it  is  desired  to  strengthen  the  spread- 
ing branches  decidedly,  it  may  be  necessary  to  cut  out  two  or  three 
years’  growth  of  the  “ leader,”  so  that  one  of  the  side  branches  will 
not  turn  up  too  readily  to  make  itself  a leader.  If  it  is  necessary 
to  keep  the  tree  within  a moderate  compass,  it  can  be  safely  pruned 
of  half  its  growth  every  year — say  in  June  or  July — and  the  rich 
density  of  its  foliage  will  be  increased  by  the  process.  This 
pruning  should  be  done  with  some  irregularity; — cutting-in  some 
branches  deeper  than  others,  to  prevent  the  formation  of  a smoothly 


518  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 


globular  head  ; which  form,  not  being  in  harmony  with  the  nature  of 
the  tree,  would  do  injustice  to  its  beauty.  To  reduce  its  size  and 
add  to  the  luxuriance  of  its  foliage  without  varying  too  much  from  its 
native  form,  and  materially  changing  its  expression,  will  be  a pleas- 
ant study  for  the  amateur  gardener.  Not  only,  however,  is  the  tree 
capable  of  being  improved  in  form  and  foliage  by  judicious  prun- 
ing, but  it  is  so  far  docile  to  the  hand  of  art*  that  it  may  be  reduced 
even  to  hedge-limits,  and  will  bear  the  shears  or  the  pruning-knife. 
to  shape  it  into  other  artificial  forms  of  embellishment. 

Those  who  have  seen  the  white  pine  as  exposed  in  its  native 
forests,  a bare  and  lofty  black-barked  trunk,  with  a monotonous 
uniformity  of  meagre-foliaged  branches  in  level  whorls  towards 
its  summit  only,  can  with  difficulty  realize  the  graceful  spread- 
ing luxuriance  of  the  tree  in  rich  sandy  open  ground.  The 
foliage  is  a warm  light-green,  often  with  a bluish  tinge.  The 
leaves,  five  in  a sheath,  are  from  three  to  four  inches  long,  slender, 
straight,  soft  to  the  touch,  and  delicately  fragrant.  They  fall  at  the 
end  of  their  second  summer,  so  that  each  summer  the  tree  is 
clothed  with  two  years’  foliage,  while  in  winter  it  has  only  the  pre- 
ceding summer’s  leaves.  The  cones  are  from  four  to  six  inches 
long,  curved,  cucumber-shaped,  and  drooping.  The  bark  is  dark, 
smooth  on  young  trees,  and  grows  rough  and  darker  with  age. 

High  winds  are  the  greatest  enemy  of  the  white  pine.  Its  wood 
is  not  so  tough  as  that  of  most  deciduous  trees.  In  winter  the 
foliage  catches  and  holds  the  snow,  which  sometimes  breaks  the 
branches  by  its  weight  alone,  but  oftener  by  the  assistance  of  the 
wind  when  they  are  thus  loaded.  Trees  grown  from  the  beginning 
in  places  fully  exposed  to  the  wind  will  be  more  likely  to  resist 
such  strains,  and  become  strong  old  trees,  than  those  which  have 
* grown  up  in  sheltered  places,  or  in  too  rich  a soil. 

A warm,  sandy  soil,  with  a clay  substratum,  is  the  one  in  which 
this  pine  is  most  at  home,  and  its  rate  of  growth  (at  the  top)  in 
such  soils,  is  about  three  feet  a year.  In  stiff  clays,  or  in  cold  or 
“ clammy  ” soils,  it  does  poorly,  and  has  but  little  beauty.  But  by 
deep  drainage  even  these  may  be  changed,  so  as  to  allow  the 
white  pine  to  develop  handsomely. 

There  are  a few  very  pretty  dwarf  varieties,  as  follows : 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 


519 


The  Pigmy  White  Pine.  P.  strobus  nana. — An  exceedingly 
diminutive  curiosity,  having  a broad,  flattened  form,  and  maturing 
at  the  height  of  one  to  two  feet. 

The  Dwarf  White  Pine,  P.  s.  pumila . — A globular,  bushy 
diminutive  sort,  with  all  the  characteristics  of  the  white  pine,  except 
that  the  annual  growth  is  so  short  that  it  becomes  an  evergreen 
shrub  only,  from  six  to  ten  feet  in  height  and  breadth. 

The  Compact  White  Pine,  P.  s.  compacts , is  so  similar  to 
the  above,  that  the  difference  is  not  material  when  they  are  young ; 
but  this  one  is  said  to  exceed  it  in  size  at  maturity.  It  is,  un- 
doubtedly, the  finest  dwarf  form  of  the  species,  and,  we  think,  of 
the  whole  pine  family.  The  foliage  is  not  diminished  in  size,  but 
only  the  woody  growth.  Height  and  breadth,  probably , from  ten 
to  fifteen  feet  at  maturity.  The  annual  growth  is  from  two  to  five 
inches.  The  common  white  pine,  if  cut  back  annually  from  the 
beginning,  would  present  nearly  the  same  appearance. 

The  Snow  or  Silver  Pine.  P.  nivea. — A lofty  tree,  quite 
similar  to  the  white  pine,  and  supposed  to  be  a variety  of  it ; but 
the  leaves  are  somewhat  shorter,  and  more  gray  or  “silvery” 
below.  Of  little  value,  as  distinguished  from  the  white  pine. 

The  Rigid  Pitch  or  Pond  Pine.  P.  rigida  ( P.  serotma J. — 
Leaves  in  three’s,  three  to  four  inches  long.  Cones  ovate-oblong, 
in  three’s  or  four’s,  much  shorter  than  the  leaves,  their  scales  ter- 
minated by  a rough,  thorny  point. 

An  irregularly-branched,  rough-barked  tree,  with  coarse,  warm, 
green  foliage,  not  very  dense,  and  rather  tufted,  and  borne  prin- 
cipally on  the  outside  of  the  tree.  The  branches  are  not  numerous, 
and  radiate  so  as  to  form,  when  growing  in  open  ground,  a broad 
oblate  or  flattened  head,  the  lower  branches  bending  down  at  their 
extremities.  Seen  at  a distance,  a well-grown  tree  is  pleasing  by 
virtue  of  the  warmth  of  its  green  color,  and  its  umbelliferous  head ; 
but  a ragged-limbed,  rude  tree,  when  seen  near  by.  The  bark  is  a 
warm  brown  color,  broken  irregularly  into  large  patches,  like  the 
markings  of  a turtle’s  back.  Found  principally  away  from  the 
sea-coast,  from  Canada  to  Virginia,  generally  in  poor,  sandy  soils. 
Height  forty  to  seventy  feet. 


% 


520  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

The  Red  Pine.  P.  rubra  ( P.  resinosa ).  Leaves  in  two’s,  four 
to  five  inches  long,  straight,  stiff,  yellowish-green,  thickly  set  on  the 
shoots,  compressed  and  collected  in  bunches  at  the  extremities  of 
the  branches.  Branches  rather  naked,  straight,  open,  and  reddish 
brown.  Very  similar  to  the  above  in  most  respects. 

The  Table  Mountain  Pine.  P.  pungens. — This  species  was 
described  by  Michaux  more  than  forty  years  ago  as  one  of  the 
rarest  and  most  peculiar  of  American  pines ; yet  it  is  little  known 
away  from  the  high  mountains  of  the  Carolinas  and  East  Tennessee, 
in  which  region  alone  it  is  found.  There  can  be  little  doubt  of  its 
hardiness  in  most  parts  of  our  country.  A tree  of  more  irregular 
and  spreading  growth  than  is  common  to  American  pines ; color  of 
foliage  a light  yellowish-green ; leaves  in  two’s,  resembling  those 
of  the  Scotch  fir ; “ cones  top-shaped,  rather  large,  light  yellowish- 
brown,  three  and  a half  inches  long,  generally  in  whorls  around  the 
stem  and  top  branches,  pointing  horizontally,  and  remaining  on  the 
tree  for  years  ” (Gordon).  Old  trees  are  said  to  exhibit  a tabular 
form  of  top.  It  is  strange  that  this  tree  is  still  almost  unknown  in 
nurseries  and  home-grounds.  It  seems  to  have  peculiarities  of 
form  and  color  to  make  it  valuable.  Height  forty  to  fifty  feet. 

Short-leaved  Yellow  or  Spruce  Pine.  P mitis. — This 
variety  is  found  all  along  the  coast  from  Connecticut  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  generally  associated  with  the  Jersey  scrub  pine  on  light 
poor  soils.  Height  fifty  to  ninety  feet.  “ The  branches  are  spread- 
ing on  the  lower  part  of  the  trunk,  but  become  less  divergent  as 
they  approach  the  top  of  the  tree,  where  they  are  bent  towards  the 
body  so  as  to  form  a summit  regularly  pyramidal,  but  not  spacious 
in  proportion  to  the  dimension  of  the  trunk.”  This  narrow  conical 
form  of  head  has  given  rise  to  the  name  of  spruce  pine.  Josiah 
Hoopes,  in  his  Book  of  Evergreens,  mentions  the  changeable  color 
of  its  leaves,  “softly  merging  from  a bright  bluish-green  to  the 
darkest  hue  in  alternate  changes  of  light  and  shade,”  as  a pleasing 
feature. 

<& 

The  Long-leaved  Yellow,  or  Georgia  Pitch  Pine.  P. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


521 


australis. — This  is  the  great  timber  tree  of  the  southern  forests  and 
pine  barrens  in  the  Carolinas  and  the  Gulf  States,  and  is  not  hardy 
north  of  Richmond.  It  grows  to  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  height,  with 
a slender  trunk.  The  leaves  are  from  eight  inches  to  a foot  or 
more  in  length,  in  three’s,  of  a beautiful  brilliant  green,  and  collected 
in  bunches  at  the  extremities  of  the  branches.  This  pine  is  put  to 
more  varied  uses  than  any  other.  Its  timber  is  close  and  heavy, 
and  valuable  both  for  house  and  ship-building.  Its  sap  is  the  raw 
turpentine  of  commerce  (from  which  the  spirits  of  turpentine  is 
distilled),  and  is  gathered  in  the  same  manner  as  that  from  the  sugar 
maple.  Tar  is  made  from  the  dead  wood,  which  has  the  curious 
property,  as  the  wood  decays,  of  absorbing  from  it  year  after  year 
all  the  resinous  matter ; so  that  the  heart-wood,  already  filled  with 
resinous  juice,  becomes  surcharged  to  such  a degree  as  to  double 
its  weight  in  a year,  and  continues  to  draw  from  the  sap-wood  till 
the  latter  rots  off.  Pine-knots,  which  are  so  largely  used  for  torches 
and  fires  at  the  south  are  the  butts  of  small  branches  from  which 
the  sap-wood  has  rotted  off,  leaving  them  full  of  rosin. 

P.  australis  excelsa  is  a variety  from  the  northwest  coast  of 
America,  which  has  proved  hardy  in  north  Germany,  and  ought  to 
be  tried  in  our  northern  States. 

The  Loblolly  Pine.  P.  tceda. — This  tree  is  peculiar  to  the 
sand-barrens  of  the  southern  States,  and  is  the  first  tree  to  occupy 
grounds  exhausted  by  cultivation.  It  rises  to  the  height  of  eighty 
feet  with  a clear  stem  of  forty  or  fifty  feet  without  a branch,  and 
above,  a wide-spreading  head.  Not  hardy,  and  of  no  value  north 
of  Virginia. 

The  Jersey  Scrub  Pine.  P.  inops. — A low  tree  of  rough  and 
straggling  growth,  a native  of  New  Jersey.  Not  desirable  as  an 
ornamental  tree. 

Banks’,  or  Gray  Pine.  P.  banksiana. — A dwarf  variety  from 
the  north  of  Canada,  which  does  not  seem  to  refine  with  cultivation, 
and  is  described  by  Sargent  as  “ a stunted  scrubby  straggling 
bush.”  Loudon,  however,  considered  it  quite  interesting  on 
account  of  its  curious  manner  of  growth,  and  another  writer 
(Richardson)  describes  it  as  a “ handsome  tree,  with  long  spread- 


522 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


ing  flexible  branches.”  An  odd  and  picturesque,  but  not  hand- 
some, low  tree. 


American  Pines  of  the  Pacific  Slope. 

Among  the  wonders  of  vegetation  on  tne  Pacific  slope,  the 
variety  of  pines  is  not  the  least  remarkable.  From  the  maritime 
slopes,  to  the  heights  near  perpetual  snow,  the  species  vary  from 
colossal  trees,  to  bushes ; but  the  giant  forms  predominate,  and  a 
coarse  open  growth  is  a peculiarity  of  most  of  them.  It  is  proba- 
ble that  most  of  those  which  prove  hardy  in  the  Atlantic  northern 
States  will  be  barred  by  the  grossness  of  their  features  from  use  in 
decorative  pleasure-grounds,  except  as  novelties  or  curiosities. 

Bentham’s  Pine.  P.  Benthamiana.  — This  giant  pine  is 
indigenous  on  the  coast  mountains  of  California  near  the  bay  of 
Monterey,  and  on  some  of  the  mountains  bordering  the  valley  of 
the  Sacramento  river,  where  it  occupies  the  greatest  elevations. 
Its  growth  is  rank,  regularly  pyramidal,  the  branches  numerous, 
spreading,  and  irregular,  and  the  leaves  of  great  length.  Though 
tested  but  a few  years  on  the  Atlantic  slope,  it  has  generally  proved 
hardy.  But  the  success  of  well  cared-for  young  plants,  a few  years, 
is  no  proof  of  their  continued  health  in  our  climate.  Besides,  its 
rank  loose  growth  may  show  it  unfit  for  suburban  planting,  even  if 
it  proves  (which  we  doubt)  hardy  enough. 

Parry’s  Pine,  P.  Parryana , resembles  the  preceding,  but  has 
more  slender  branches,  and  its  cones  are  remarkable  for  their  bright 
glossy  yellow  color,  and  their  freedom  from  resinous  matter.  Said 
to  be  as  hardy  as  the  BeJithamiana. 

Balfour’s  Pine.  P.  Balfouriana. — A species  found  in  northern 
California,  between  the  Shasta  and  Scott’s  valley,  at  an  elevation 
of  five  to  eight  thousand  feet,  growing  on  volcanic  debris ; said 
by  Gordon  to  be  quite  hardy  and  very  distinct.  This  author 
describes  the  branches  as  slender  and  flexible.  Of  its  beauty  or 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


523 


want  of  it  we  know  nothing,  and  have  not  heard  of  it  in  planted 
grounds. 

Coulter’s  or  Sabine’s  Pine.  P.  Coulterii  ( P . Sabiana , P. 
macrocarpa). — This  species  is  usually  found  associated  with  the  P. 
Benthamiana , but  on  lower  elevations.  It  is  a lofty  tree,  with 
slender  branches  and  very  long  foliage  borne  near  the  extremities 
of  the  limbs.  Not  a pleasing  tree. 

California  Mountain  Pine.  P monticola. — A species  closely 
resembling  the  white  pine  of  the  eastern  States,  and  therefore  of 
little  value  in  a collection  where  the  latter  is  growing. 

American  Cembran,  or  Contorte'd-branched  Pine.  P. 
Jlexilis. — A tree  of  very  slow  growth,  indigenous  on  the  mountains 
of  northern  Mexico  and  California,  at  elevations  of  from  seven 
to  fourteen  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  It  varies  in  size 
from  a tree  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  high  near  Sante  Fe,  to  a low 
flat-top  shrub,  only  a few  feet  in  height,  and  “ so  compact  that  a 
man  may  walk  upon  it,”  where  found  at  its  greatest  altitude  above 
the  sea.  It  forms  a tree  of  oval  outline  like  the  European  cembran 
pine,  the  lower  branches  horizontal,  the  upper  ones  ascending,  and 
both  large  and  somewhat  tortuous,  but  very  flexible ; whence  its 
name.  The  foliage  is  said  to  resemble  most  that  of  our  white  pine,, 
but  the  leaves  are  shorter  and  stouter,  and  the  branching  more  irreg- 
ular. Supposed  to  be  quite  hardy.  Desirable  for  great  collections. 

Fremont’s  Pine.  P.  Fremontiana. — A small,  nut-bearing  tree, 
found  in  the  upper  elevations  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  from 
five  to  seven  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  has 
many  and  slender,  spreading  branches,  which  are  fragrant  when 
bruised.  It  is  a very  slow  grower.  Whether  hardy  and  of  beauty 
enough  to  give  it  value  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  is  yet  a matter 
of  experiment.  Height  twenty  feet. 

Hartweg’s  Pine.  P.  Hartwegii. — “ A handsome  tree  growing 
from  forty  to  fifty  feet  high,  with  a dense  compact  head  of  a fine 


524  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

•dark  green  ” (Gordon).  Found  in  Mexico  at  elevations  nine  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea.  Half-hardy,  perhaps  hardy. 

Pinon,  or  Nut  Pine.  P.  edulis. — A small-sized,  short-leaved 
mountain  pine  of  California,  which  promises  to  be  hardy,  and  may 
prove  interesting.  Height  twenty-five  to  forty  feet. 

The  Heavy  Wooded  Pine.  P.  po?iderosa.  — A California 
tree  of  great  size,  and  coarse,  rapid  growth.  Branches  in  regular 
whorls,  but  twisted  and  tortuous,  rising  from  the  trunk  at  an  angle 
less  than  a right  angle,  drooping  towards  the  middle  and  rising  at 
the  ends.  They  are  quite  large  and  rope-like,  and  not  being  well 
•concealed  by  leaves,  except  near  the  extremities,  give  the  tree  the 
appearance  of  a very  bony  frame  illy  clothed.  It  proves  perfectly 
hardy  at  Rochester,  where  Ellw'anger  & Barry  have  a fine  specimen 
thirty  feet  high  and  twenty  feet  in  diameter  across  the  branches. 
It  is  a curious,  but  far  from  a handsome  tree. 

Jeffrey’s  Pine.  P.  Jeffi'cyanci. — One  of  the  lofty  pines  of 
northern  California,  where  it  attains  a height  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet.  Not  yet  thoroughly  tested  on  the  Atlantic  slope.  Young 
specimens  look  like  a cross  between  the  Austrian  and  Pyrenean 
pines.  The  leaves  are  longer  and  warmer  toned  than  those  of  the 
Austrian  pine. 

Lambert’s  Pine.  P.  Lcimbertiana. — This  is  another  of  the 
lofty  trees  of  California.  It  resembles  our  white  pine  so  much 
that  common  observers  would  suppose  it  the  same.  We  have 
seen  no  quality  that  should  cause  it  to  be  recommended  for  plant- 
ing ; our  white  pine  being  its  equal  or  superior  in  all  respects. 

The  Mexican  Fountain  Pine.  Pimis  patula. — H.  W.  Sar- 
gent says  of  this : “ Of  all  the  pines  which  we  have  seen,  this  is 
beyond  measure  the  most  graceful  and  charrhing,  not  only  in  its 
growth  and  habit,  but  in  the  nature,  softness,  and  color  of  its 
leaves.  It  resembles  a beautiful,  delicate  green  fountain  of  spun 
glass,  and  has  a parti-color  like  shot  silk,  which  catches  the  sun- 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


525 


light  almost  like  a kaleidoscope.  The  leaves  resemble  the  silk  of 
maize,  being  as  soft  and  delicate  and  not  unlike  it  in  color.”  Al- 
though it  grows  on  the  mountains  of  Mexico  at  the  height  of  eight 
thousand  to  nine  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  Mr.  Sargent  dares  not  trust  his  beautiful  specimen  in  open 
ground  in  winter,  and  is  satisfied  that  it  is  not  suited  to  bear  our 
winters,  deeming  it  “ quite  beautiful  enough  for  pot-culture  to  sat- 
isfy anybody.” 

Pince’s  Mexican  Willow  Pine.  P.  pinceana. — This  is  another 
of  the  Mexican  mountain  pines,  found  on  the  same  elevations  as 
the  preceding,  on  a road  leading  to  the  City  of  Mexico.  It  is  de- 
scribed as  “ a very  handsome  tree,  with  long  weeping  branches  like 
those  of  the  weeping  willow,  and  easily  distinguished  from  all  other 
Mexican  pines  on  that  account.” — (Gordon.)  There  is  no  proba- 
bility of  its  proving  hardy  in  this  country,  but  it  may  be  grown  in 
boxes  by  those  having  conservatories  to  winter  it  in,  and  serve  to 
give  variety  to  a pinetum  in  the  open  air  in  summer.  It  grows  to 
sixty  feet  in  height  in  its  native  places. 

The  Chili  Pine.  Araucaria  imbricata. — This  is  not  a true 
pine,  but  is  classed  with  them  because  the  name  by  which  it  is 
widely  known  implies  that  it  is  a pine.  One  of  the  most  curious 
of  all  trees ; the  branches  growing  like  tortuous  canes,  covered 
with  large  pointed  green  scales  for  leaves.  The  color  of  the  foliage 
is  the  phrest  of  deep  greens.  If  it  could  be  grown  successfully  in 
open  ground  we  know  of  no  evergreen  that,  as  a curiosity,  would 
be  more  desirable.  Of  the  thousands  of  trees  planted  about  twenty 
years  ago,  and  since,  very  few  are  living ; but  we  do  not  yet  aban- 
don the  hope  of  seeing  it  acclimatized  in  the  middle  States.  A 
few  careful  cultivators  have  succeeded  in  growing  it.  There 
are  good  trees  in  Baltimore  and  Washington,  but  it  has  failed  at 
Newport,  Flushing,  and  Cincinnati.  If  seed  could  be  procured 
from  the  most  southerly  limit  of  its  growth  in  Patagonia,  and  from 
the  most  exposed  specimens,  it  could,  perhaps,  be  made  to  sport 
into  hardy  varieties  in  this  country.  The  seeds  have  been  obtained 
principally  from  near  Concepcion,  in  latitude  370,  near  the  sea. 


~)26  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 

There  is  no  snow  there  in  winter,  and  the  summers  are  about  as 
hot  as  our  own.  We  have  seen  the  fuschia  growing  wild  there ; 
but  the  araucaria  is  found  growing  in  large  quantities  six  degrees 
further  south  ; how  much  farther  still  we  do  not  know.  The  In- 
dians say  that  it  grows  only  on  the  Pacific  slope  of  the  Andes. 


Pines  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

The  Austrian  Pine.  Finns  austriaca. — A native  of  southern 
Europe,  there  holding  the  same  rank  in  size  and  in  value  of  timber 
as  our  white  pine.  This  tree  is  a type  of  a perfect  color  in  ever- 
green foliage.  By  this  we  do  not  mean  to  convey  the  impression 
that  any  one  shade  of  color,  however  pleasing,  is  desirable  for  all 
trees,  but  only  this : that  there  is  a happy  medium  between  the 
wide  diversities  in  color  that  Nature  charms  us  with,  and  this  me- 
dium is  a measure  or  standard  of  color  by  which  we  rank  one  tree 
as  light  colored,  because  lighter  than  the  medium,  and  another 
dark,  because  darker  than  the  medium.  Thus  all  diversities  of 
color  are  described  by  some  ideal  standard.  The  color  of  this 
pine  is  so  clear  and  pure  that  it  seems  to  be  such  a standard. 
There  is  a liveliness,  purity,  and  depth  in  its  green  not  surpassed 
by  any  tree  we  know  of ; forming  a marked  contrast  in  this  respect 
to  the  rather  grayish-green  of  the  Scotch  pine,  and  the  lighter  green 
of  the  white  pine.  It  is,  however,  a stiffer,  coarser,  and  more  ro- 
bust tree  in  its  growth  than  either  of  them.  Its  young  wood  is 
remarkably  rough ; the  branches  issue  in  whorls  almost  right-angu- 
larly  from  the  main  stem,  describing  a slight  upward  curve,  and  on 
thrifty  young  trees  the  spaces  between  them,  and  their  coarse  char- 
acter, give  the  tree  a rude  appearance  when  seen  too  closely. 
When  young  the  tree  has  the  usual  conical  or  pyramidal  character 
of  the  pines,  but  after  it  reaches  middle  size  the  top  begins  to 
round  out  somewhat,  and  at  maturity  it  becomes  rather  a round- 
headed  tree,  sometimes  even  flat-topped  when  old. 

The  leaves  of  the  Austrian  pine  are  from  three  to  five  inches 
long,  two  (occasionally  three)  in  a sheath,  rigid,  slender,  and  with 
prickly  points.  The  buds  are  large,  very  long,  and  of  a whitish 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


527 


color ; by  which  feature  alone  this  species  can  be  distinguished  at 
a considerable  distance  in  the  fall  and  spring.  The  annual  growth 
in  strong  soils  is  about  three  feet  a year. 

Josiah  Hoopes,  in  his  valuable  Book  of  Evergreens,  observes 
that  “where  the  soil  is  retentive  of  moisture,  and  consequently  be- 
comes sour  and  soddened,  he  has  seen  this  species  succeeding 
moderately  well,  while  the  white  pine,  planted  in  the  same  situa- 
tion, died  outright.”  This  remark  gives  the  key  to  the  use  of  the 
two  species — the  white  pine  being  the  most  beautiful  of  hardy  pines 
in  sandy  or  well-drained  loams,  and  the  Austrian  pine  equally  su- 
perior in  compacter  soils.  Both  should  be  fully  exposed  on  all 
sides  to  the  sun  to  develop  their  best  beauty. 

There  is  much  difference  among  seedling  Austrian  pines  in 
their  mode  of  growth,  some  being  much  longer  jointed  and  more 
rigid  than  others.  A nurseryman  skilled  in  observing  such  things 
can  often  select  trees  that  will  display  most  of  the  beauties  and 
none  of  the  conspicuous  coarse  growth  of  the  usual  form.  In  Ell- 
wanger  & Barry’s  specimen  ground  at  Rochester,  is  a seedling  of 
theirs,  of  such  spreading  habit  and  short  growth  at  the  top  that,  but 
for  the  brightness  of  its  color,  it  might  easily  be  mistaken  by  its 
form  for  a large  dwarf  mountain  pine,  though  the  masses  of  its  long 
leaves  are  finer  than  the  latter  ever  forms.  The  variety  is  worth 
propagating  from,  and  we  suggest  that,  as  the  species  is  a German 
tree,  the  variety  take  the  name  of  the  Ellwanger  Austrian  pine. 
It  is  a much  better  form  for  ordinary  home-grounds  than  the  usual 
type ; but  the  latter,  by  heading  back  its  long  shoots  when  too 
gross,  will  present  a similar  appearance. 

There  is  a variegated-leaved  variety  not  yet,  we  believe,  grown 
in  this  country. 

The  Scotch  Pine.  Pinus  sylvestris. — The  Scotch  pine  is  indi- 
genous throughout  middle  and  northern  Europe,  and  takes  the 
same  rank  among  pine  trees  in  Great  Britain  as  the  oak  among 
deciduous  trees.  It  is  the  most  useful  for  timber,  and  adapts  itself 
to  a greater  variety  of  park  uses  than  any  other.  Its  spreading 
habit,  sometimes  so  free  in  outline,  and  well  broken  by  shadows  as 
to  rank  among  grand  trees,  and  in  other  localities  developing  into 


/ 


528  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


smoothly-rounded  and  symmetrical  beauty,  gives  it  an  expression 
more  in  harmony  with  deciduous  trees  than  most  evergreens,  while 
in  mountain  regions  it  develops  the  highest  degree  of  picturesqii'e- 
ness.  Its  form  is  generally  rounded  rather  than  pyramidal ; the 
branches  radiate  more  irregularly,  and  are  not  so  straight  and  for- 
mal in  their  disposition  as  those  of  the  white  and  Austrian  pines, 
and  the  foliage  therefore  breaks  into  less  stratified  and  more  oak- 
like masses.  For  this  reason,  on  young  trees,  the  foliage  appears 
to  be  more  dense  than  that  of  the  white  pine. 

The  dull  color  of  its  foliage  is  the  one  thing  that  prevents  the 
Scotch  pine  from  being  the  most  popular  of  evergreens ; for  it 
unites  every  other  good  quality  for  planting.  This  color  varies 
from  a grayish  to  a bluish  green,  not  at  all  pleasing  in  itself.  The 
leaves  are  in  two’s,  from  one  and  a half  inches  to  two  and  a half 
inches  long,  twisted,  rigid,  standing  out  all  around  the  branches. 
Cones  ovate-conical,  from  two  to  three  inches  long. 

Whether  the  following  variety  of  the  Scotch  pine,  so  highly  com- 
mended, has  been  cultivated  in  our  nurseries,  we  do  not  know ; but 
have  supposed  all  the  American  stock  of  this  tree  to  be  of  the  com- 
mon sort  above  described. 

The  Red-wood  Scotch,  or  Highland  Pine.  P.  s.  horizon- 
talis. — This  variety  is  distinguished  by  the  horizontal  and  drooping 
character  of  its  branches,  which  tend  downward  close  to  the  trunk ; 
by  the  lighter  and  brighter  bluish-green  color  of  its  leaves,  and 
less  rugged  bark.  Sir  Walter  Scott  urged  this  as  the  true  Scotch 
pine,  or  at  least  the  variety  which  develops  the  noble  and  pictur- 
esque forms  that  have  given  the  species  its  high  rank,  and  that  the 
common  sort  “ is  an  inferior  variety,  a mean  looking  tree,  but  very 
prolific  of  seed,  on  which  account  the  nursery  gardeners  are  ena- 
bled to  raise  it  in  vast  quantities.”  The  highland  pine  bears  com- 
paratively few  seeds ; and  the  seed  gatherers,  who  are  only  paid  by 
the  quantity,  naturally  collect  only  from  trees  the  most  prolific  in 
cones. 

No  finely-formed  trees  of  either  variety  can  be  produced  which 
do  not  grow  from  the  start  in  open  ground,  exposed  on  all  sides  to 
the  sun  and  wind.  When  “ drawn  up  ” by  the  shade  or  contiguity 
of  other  trees,  it  speedily  forms  a lank,  ill-branched  stem,  and  rarely 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 529 


recovers  that  sturdy  dignity  of  form  which  it  naturally  assumes  in 
an  open  exposure. 

The  Pigmy  Scotch  or  Knee  Pine.  P.  s.  nana. — A broad 
spreading  dwarf  that  rarely  exceeds  three  feet  in  height,  and  is  very 
stunted  in  branches  and  leaves. 

The  Variegated  Scotch  Pine,  P.  s.  variegata,  differs  from  the 
ordinary  form  only  in  having  pale  straw-colored  leaves  mingled 
among  those  of  the  usual  color. 

The  Persian  Scotch  Pine.  P.  s.  latifolia.—A  robust  variety 
attaining  great  size  on  the  mountains  of  Persia,  which  has  longer 
and  broader  leaves  than  any  other  variety. 

The  Silvery  Scotch  Pine.  P.  s.  argentea—A  large  tree  from 
east  of  the  Black  sea,  with  leaves  and  cones  both  marked  with  a 
silvery  hue. 

The  Mugho  Pine.  Pinus  mugho. — A dwarf  species  with 
numerous  ascending  branches  thickly  covered  with  foliage  resem- 
bling that  of  the  Scotch  pine,  but  of  a better  and  warmer  color. 
It  is  indigenous  on  the  mountains  from  the  Pyrenees  to  the 
Austrian  Alps,  and  forms  a compact,  rather  fastigiate,  shrubby  tree, 
from  ten  to  thirty  feet  in  height.  This  species  is  often  confounded 
with  the  mountain  pine,  P.  pumilio , which  indeed  it  greatly  resem- 
bles ; but  differs  in  having  shorter  leaves,  and  a more  compact 
and  tree-like  growth.  The  branches  of  the  P.  puviilio  spread  more 
upon  the  ground,  though  they  rise  at  their  extremities  on  all  parts 
of  the  tree  to  a nearly  vertical  direction.  There  are  many  distinct 
varieties  of  the  mugho  pine,  varying  in  size  from  the  knee  pine,  P. 
mugho  nana , which  rarely  grows  much  higher  than  the  knee,  to 
the  Austrian  marsh  mugho,  P.  m.  uliginosa , which  forms  a 
pyramidal  small  tree.  The  common  variety,  of  good  nurseries,  is 
the  best,  and  forms  a very  pleasing  miniature  specimen  of  a pine 
tree.  The  foliage  has  a warm  or  yellowish-green  tone  in  the  spring. 
A great  variety  of  forms  of  this  species  may  be  seen  in  the  New 
York  Central  Park,  usually  from  four  to  eight  feet  high.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  pleasing  of  shrubby  evergreens  for  small  grounds. 

There  is  a tree  in  the  specimen  grounds  of  Messrs.  Parsons  & 
Co.,  at  Flushing — which  is  shown  by  Fig.  169 — that  is  probably  one 
34 


530  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

of  the  larger  forms  of  mugho  pine,  but  is  entered  on  their  catalogue 
simply  as  Finns  uncinata  erecta . It  has  the  deepest  pure  green 
color  we  have  ever  seen  in  an  evergreen,  and  as  there  grown,  in 
rich,  cultivated  ground,  there  is  a velvety  depth  in  the  shadings  of 
its  foliage  that  we  have  never  seen  surpassed.  May  this  not  be  the 


Fig.  169. 


F.  m.  uliginosa  of  Gordon  ? The  specimen  which  is  given  in  the 
engraving  is  about  eighteen  feet  high,  and  bids  fair  to  greatly 
exceed  this  height  at  maturity.  How  much  of  the  beauty  of  this 
specimen  depends  on  the  unusual  fertility  of  the  soil  in  which  it 
grows,  and  how  much  on  the  innate  character  of  the  species,  we 
cannot  tell.  Possibly  in  a common  soil,  the  richness  of  its  dark 
verdure  might  change  to  sombreness. 

The  Mountain  Pine.  Finns  pumilio. — Described  by  Gordon 
as  follows : “ Leaves  in  two’s,  curved,  short,  stiff,  thickly  set  on  the 
branches,  from  two  to  two-and-a-half  inches  long,  etc.  Branches 
turned  upwards  and  very  numerous,  forming  a dense  bush,  with  the 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  531 


bottom  branches  creeping  on  the  ground,  but  growing  in  favorable 
situations,  into  a small  tree  twenty  or  thirty  feet  high,  with  a gray 
and  rather  smoothish  bark.”  “ At  great  elevations  on  the  mountains 
it  becomes  merely  a spreading  bush  creeping  along  the  ground.” 
The  largest  specimens  we  have  seen  are  about  twelve  feet  high 
and  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and  are  well  described  by  the  above 
quotation.  This  and  the  mugho  pines  are  often  confounded  from 
the  fact  of  being  about  equally  dwarfish.  The  mugho  has  a more 
compact  form  and  a warmer  green  color. 

The  Swiss  Stone  Pine.  Pinus  cembra. — A tree  of 
very  compact,  erect,  ovate-conical  form,  dark  foliage, 
and  slow  growth.  On  account  of  its  formality  of  out- 
line it  has  been  much  employed  in  gardening.  Fig.  170 
illustrates  its  characteristic  form.  It  retains  its  lower 
branches  and  foliage  to  a considerable  age.  The  greatest 
peculiarity  of  its  foliage  is  the  dense  mass  of  globular 
tufts  of  leaves  which  compose  the  entire  surface  of  the 
tree.  Its  rate  of  growth  is  from  six  inches  to  one  foot  per  year, 
and  it  grows  to  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  height. 

Pyrenean  Pine.  Pinus  pyrencaca  ( P.  monspelliensis,  P.  his- 
panica ). — Leaves  two  in  a sheath,  from  five  to  seven  inches  long, 
fine,  stiff,  straight,  thickly-set  on  the  branches,  of  a clear  green 
color.  Cones  two  and  a half  inches  long,  conical-oblong,  smooth, 
light  yellow  color,  at  right  angles  to  the  branches.  “ Branches 
stout,  of  an  orange  color,  numerous,  regular,  spreading  in  all  direc- 
tions around  the  stem,  and  well  furnished  with  laterals  ” (Gordon). 

A large,  wide-spreading  tree,  native  of  the  most  elevated  forests 
of  the  Pyrenees. 

It  is  extraordinary  that  a tree  so  distinct  and  beautiful,  and 
seemingly  hardy  as  this,  should  be  almost  unknown  in  this  country. 
The  largest  tree  of  the  species  we  have  seen  is  growing  in  the 
specimen  grounds  of  Parsons  & Co.,  Flushing,  L.  I.  It  is  now 
thirty  feet  high,  and  so  far  assumes  about  the  same  form  as  a very 
spreading  white  pine.  But  its  leaves  are  much  longer  than  those 
of  the  white,  Scotch,  or  Austrian  pines,  and  quite  as  long  as  those 


Fig.  170. 


532  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


of  the  exquisite  plume-like  tufts  of  the  more  delicate  Pinus  excelsa. 
Judging  by  the  Parsons  specimen,  it  is  a more  beautiful  lawn  tree 
than  either  the  white,  Scotch,  or  the  Austrian  pines,  less  rough- 
branched  and  formal  than  the  Austrian,  of  a more  pleasing  green 
than  the  Scotch,  and  more  massy-foliaged  than  the  white.  In  its 
general  appearance  it  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  Austrian  pine 
that  the  Pinus  excelsa  does  to  the  white  pine ; that  is  to  say,  it  is 
proportionally  of  more  free  and  graceful  foliage.*  It  has  proved 
quite  hardy  in  H.  W.  Sargent’s  place  at  Fishkill,  on  the  Hudson. 

The  Bhotan  Pine.  P.  excelsa. — Leaves  in  five’s,  five  to  seven 
inches  long,  slender,  loose,  and  pendulous,  like  plumes.  Cones 
cylindrical,  larger  than  the  leaves,  and  pendulous.  Color  of  foliage 
a light  green. 

This  queen  of  the  pines  is  a native  of  the  southerly  slopes  of 
the  Himalayas,  in  latitudes  270  to  350,  and  at  elevations  of  from 
five  thousand  to  twelve  thousand  feet  above  the  sea ; where  it  at- 
tains a height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  forms  in  open 
exposures  a broad  pyramidal  mass.  A traveller  in  the  Himalayas 
says : “ It  is  remarkable  for  its  drooping  branches,  whence  it  is 
frequently  called  the  ‘ weeping  fir.’  ” There  are  yet  no  specimens 
in  this  country  large  enough  to  indicate  with  certainty  what  the 
habit  of  a full-grown  tree  will  be,  but  the  exquisite  bending  plumes, 
formed  by  each  annual  growth  of  leaves,  which  gleam  with  a silvery 
light  as  they  are  moved  by  the  wind,  are  alone  enough  to  entitle  it 
to  the  name  of  the  weeping  pine,  were  it  not  a misnomer  to  apply 
the  term  “weeping”  to  a tree  so  radiant  with  sunny  cheerfulness. 
As  far  as  we  can  judge  by  the  specimens  now  growing  in  this 
country,  this  pine  spreads  more  in  proportion  to  its  height  than  the 
white  pine — more  like  the  Scotch — and  retains  a strength  of  growth 
in  its  lower  horizontal  branches,  that  gives  promise  of  a nobler 


* Since  the  above  was  written,  the  large  trees  in  Parsons’  specimen  grounds  at  Flushing  have 
died,  while  small  trees  in  their  nurseries  are  uninjured.  Mr.  J.  R.  Strumpe,  the  very  skillful 
propagator  of  that  establishment,  and  a careful  observer,  does  not  consider  the  misfortune  as 
conclusive  of  the  lack  of  hardiness  of  this  species,  as  our  own  native  white  pines  occasionally 
die  in  the  same  way  from  some  unseen  cause  ; but  it  is  certainly  suggestive  that  our  climate 
may  not  be  adapted  to  it.  These  specimens  had  been  grown  with  great  luxuriance  in  a rich 
deep  soil.  Perhaps  excessive  feeding  had  something  to  do  with  their  premature  death. 


I 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  533 


form  of  park  tree  than  any  evergreen  that  will  grow  in  this  country. 
We  believe  the  finest  specimen  in  this  country  is  in  the  Parsons 
nursery  at  Flushing,  L.  I.  It  is  now  about  forty  feet  across  the 
spread  of  its  branches,  which  almost  rest  upon  the  ground.  The 
form  is  rather  globular  than  pyramidal ; the  height  not  being  equal 
to  the  breadth.  Most  other  specimens  are  broad  ovate-pyramidal. 
Trees  not  more  than  twelve  years  planted  in  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral Park,  are  how  upwards  of  twenty  feet  high,  about  the  same 
diameter  of  branches,  and  perfect  in  every  way.  It  does  well  at 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  for  six  or  eight  years  after  planting,  and  then 
gives  indications  of  weakness  and  disease. 

An  impression  gains  ground  that  this  pine  is  not  quite  hardy  in 
the  northern  States.  It  is  not  possible  to  speak  with  certainty  on 
this  point.  It  is  hardy  to  resist  cold,  but  it  seems  to  be  weak,  and 
to  develop  disease  in  the  summer.  The  tree  not  being  a native  of 
our  country,  may  not  adapt  itself  to  our  varied  soils  or  climates  so 
readily  as  natives.  But  we  still  hope  that,  with  care,  when  young, 
it  may  be  rooted  in  most  parts  of  this  country,  so  as  to  grow 
healthily. 

The  following  remarks  by  H.  W.  Sargent  in  his  Appendix  to  Down- 
ing’s Landscape  Gardening,  are  interesting : “ It  is  universally  re- 
turned to  us  as  hardy  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  though  some- 
times suffering  from  sun  in  summer.  Near  Boston  this  is  the  case, 
and  at  Natchez,  where  plants  have  to  be  shaded  from  the  summer 
sun.  Mr.  Barry  writes  from  Rochester  it  is  hardy  there,  but  will 
not  make  an  old  tree.  Our  own  trees  at  Wodenethe,  sixteen  and 
eighteen  feet  high,  certainly  suffer  from  sun,  and  not  cold.  The 
winter  of  1855  and  1856,  which  destroyed  some  and  damaged  many 
other  white  pines  here,  and  even  road-side  cedars,  produced  no 
effect  upon  this  tree,  which  was  entirely  unprotected  and  uninjured; 
and  yet,  often  in  midsummer,  it  will  become  ruptured  in  its  leading 
shoots,  and  die  back.  This  may  be  on  the  principle  of  the  frozen 
sap-blight*  in  fruit-trees,  where  the  damage  done  in  winter  does  not 
develop  the  injury  before  the  succeeding  summer ; but  we  are  more 
inclined  to  believe  that  the  tree,  if  planted  in  rich  holes,  overgrows, 
and  a sort  of  apoplexy  supervenes.  We  form  this  theory  from  ob- 
serving that,  where  a great  growth  has  taken  place,  and  the  leading 


t 


534  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

shoot  is  three  or  four  feet  long,  and  extremely  succulent,  this  rup- 
ture is  most  often  the  result  when  the  sun  being  hot,  activity  of 
circulation  is  excessive.  When,  however,  the  exuberance  of 
growth  is  checked  by  poor,  thin  soil,  the  tree  grows  enough, 
and  seems  to  mature  its  wood — at  any  rate  sufficient  to  with- 
stand what  might  be  called  determination  of  sap  to  the  head ; 
so  that,  in  future,  we  shall  always  plant  excelsas  in  poor  soil.” 

It  is  some  years  since  the  above  was  written?  Mr.  Sargent’s 
finest  trees  of  this  species  are  now  in  a precarious  condition.  He 
has  stated  the  symptoms  of  their  decline,  but  there  seems  to  be 
something  in  the  inherent  organism  of  the  tree  to  produce  these 
results,  which  will  not  be  fully  counteracted  by  the  treatment 
recommended.  The  fact  that  Parsons  & Co.’s  superb  tree  — 
probably  the  finest  in  this  country — is  growing  healthily  (thus  far) 
in  a soil  rich  enough  to  produce  the  most  luxuriant  growth,  tends  to 
prove  that  the  rank  growth  is  not  the  invariable  cause  of  the  decay 
of  these  trees.  This  tree  is  growing  in  a position  exposed  on  all 
sides  to  wind  and  sun.  We  have  seen  the  commonly  cultivated 
varieties  of  cherry,  like  the  black  tartarian  and  the  yellow  Spanish, 
growing  in  different  soils  in  the  same  town ; in  one,  always  forming 
short  well-ripened  wood,  and  growing  into  healthy  trees;  and  in 
the  other,  growing  excessively,  and  developing  early  disease  and 
decay.  A well-drained  stiff  clay  produces  the  healthy  trees ; and 
a warm  sandy  surface  soil,  with  a springy  subsoil,  produces  a 
plethora  of  growth,  rupture  of  the  bark,  exudation  of  gum,  and 
all  the  symptoms  of  a diseased  condition.  If  a tree  that  succeeds 
so  generally  in  the  northern  States  as  the  cherry,  is  liable  to  the 
peculiar  form  of  disease  that  distinguishes  the  Bhotan  pine,  it  is  a 
reason  to  be  hopeful  that  the  best  soil  and  exposure  for  the  latter 
may  be  determined,  so  as  to  give  assurance  of  growing  it  to  maturity 
in  some  localities.  We  would  follow  Mr.  Sargent’s  suggestions 
implicitly  as  far  as  relates  to  starting  the  tree  in  a poor  surface 
soil,  but  we  would  leave  it  exposed  on  all  sides  to  the  sun  and 
wind  from  the  beginning,  and  seek  to  harden  its  growth  by  giving  it 
deep  root  in  a rich  dry  subsoil. 

But  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  Bhotan  pine  is  a native  of 
the  latitude  of  the  northern  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico ; and  it  is 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  535 


not  likely  that  our  northern  sun  can  be  too  much  for  it,  unless  some 
preceding  cause  exists  for  abnormal  sensibility  to  heat.  The  tree 
is  found  at  an  elevation  of  from  six  to  ten  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  “ prefers  the  more  open  and  cheerful  aspects 
of  the  mountains.”  Such  an  elevation  even  in  the  tropical  latitude 
of  2 70  to  290  insures  a comparatively  temperate  summer  climate 
and  severe  winters,  but  does  not  diminish  greatly  the  blistering 
power  of  the  sun’s  rays,  as  those  know  who  have  travelled  on  the 
glacier  heights  of  the  Alps.  We  cannot  therefore  believe  that  full 
exposure  to  the  sun  will  of  itself  be  found  prejudicial  to  the  health 
of  the  Bhotan  pine,  but  think  it  much  more  likely  that  the  source 
of  its  weakness  in  this  country  is  simply  a density  of  air  quite 
different  from  that  breathed  by  the  tree  at  an  elevation  of  six  and 
ten  thousand  feet  above  the  sea ; and  this  alone  may  produce  what 
Mr.  Sargent  terms  “ a determination  of  sap  to  the  head  ” — or 
vegetable  apoplexy.  It  will  therefore  be  a simple  matter  for 
patient  experimenters  to  determine  to  what  extent  the  Bhotan  pine 
may  be  acclimated  in  the  United  States. 

We  believe  that  much  may  be  done  by  selecting  seed  from  trees 
that  exhibit  the  greatest  vigor  in  localities  the  most  exposed  to  sun, 
wind,  and  cold,  at  the  lowest  elevation  where  the  tree  flourishes. 
It  is  quite  probable  that  most  of  the  seed  imported  into  England 
has  been  obtained  from  the  great  trees  of  the  valley-forests  nearest 
to  the  English  stations.  With  seed  from  the  most  weather-tried 
trees,  it  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  a hardier  stock  of  this 
pine  may  be  grown,  and  from  among  the  progeny  of  such  seed 
some  specimens  of  sufficient  hardiness  to  insure  their  healthy  growth 
in  the  United  States.  We  have  not  heard  whether  any  experiments 
have  been  tried  in  grafting  the  P.  excelsa  on  different  pine  stocks  to 
learn  the  effect,  if  any,  on  the  subsequent  growth.  By  grafting 
scions  from  the  same  tree  on  the  roots  respectively  of  the  white, 
the  Austrian,  and  the  Scotch  pines,  it  may  readily  be  ascertained 
whether  anything  can  be  gained  in  that  direction.  If  the  P.  excelsa 
scion  will  take  readily  on  the  Austrian  pine  stock,  very  beautiful 
effects  may  be  produced  by  cutting  off  the  leader  of  the  latter  from 
eight  to  twelve  feet  above  the  ground,  and  inserting  grafts  of  the 
former,  without  marring  the  side  branches  of  the  stock.  The 


536  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

silvery  foliage  of  the  Bhotan  pine  springing  from  the  dark  cushion 
of  foliage  the  Austrian  pine  would  throw  around  it,  would  make  a 
beautiful  effect. 

The  Corsican  Pine.  P.  laricio. — A lofty  tree  of  the  most 
rapid  growth  and  regularly  pyramidal  form.  Though  a native  of 
the  high  lands  adjacent  to  the  Mediterranean,  it  is  also  found  on 
the  mountains  of  Caucasus,  and  it  is  considered  hardy  with  us. 
Hoopes  (Book  of  Evergreens)  says  of  it : “ For  lawn-planting  the 

Corsican  pine  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  available  trees  we 
have,  and  is  almost  invariably  an  attractive  object  in  a collection. 
As  it  is  a native  of  warm  climates,  many  persons  suppose  it  will 
prove  too  tender  for  this  section  (Westchester,  near  Philadelphia); 
but  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  it  has  given  entire 
satisfaction.  The  long  wavy  leaves  are  of  a bright  green  color,  and 
the  perfect  shape  of  the  tree  has  always  produced  a favorable 
impression  with  us,  and  we  wish  it  were  more  extensively  known.” 

It  is  not  quite  hardy  at  Rochester.  H.  W.  Sargent  says  of  it  : 
“ It  is  quite  as  hardy  as  the  Austrian  all  over  the  country,  having 
somewhat  the  same  robust  habit,  only  a less  vivid  green.,,  Its 
growth  is  rather  more  loose  and  open  than  that  of  the  Austrian 
pine — the  space  between  the  whorls  of  its  branches  being  much 
greater,  and,  taken  altogether,  it  is  a less  pleasing  tree. 

The  P.  L caramcinica  is  a variety  of  the  Corsican  pine,  of  less 
size,  and  lower,  rounder,  and  more  bushy  form ; a distinct  and 
valuable  variety. 

The  P.  /.  pygmcea  is  an  extremely  dwarf  variety,  whose  branches 
trail  along  the  ground,  and  bear  short  rigid  curled  leaves  (Hoopes). 
Will  probably  be  useful  for  grafting  on  other  pines. 

Calabrian  Pine.  P.  bruttia. — Leaves  in  two's,  rarely  three's, 
about  nine  inches  long,  sfender,  glabrous,  wavy,  light  green. 

A lofty  tree  from  the  mountains  of  Calabria,  where  it  grows  from 
four  to  five  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea ; of  spreading 
umbelliferous  form,  and  fine  color.  The  length  of  its  leaves  is  one 
of  its  interesting  features.  Sargent  and  Hoopes  both  speak  of  it 
as  having  proved  hardy ; the  former  at  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  and  the 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  537 


latter  at  Westchester,  Pa.  It  is  said  to  develop  a straggling  habit 
in  this  country,  and  its  beauty  as  a tree  is  more  doubtful  than  its 
hardiness.  Probably  suited  to  regions  south  of  Washington, 

The  Italian  Cluster  Pine.  P.  pinaster. — This  tree,  famous 
for  its  gardenesque  effect  in  Italian  scenery,  has  not  proved  hardy 
in  the  northern  States.  Though  frequently  grown  for  many  years 
in  open  ground,  it  always  succumbs  to  the  climate  before  it  arrives 
at  maturity.  It  flourishes  best  on  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  where  it  rises  to  the  height  of  sixty  to  seventy  feet,  and  forms 
a peculiarly  flattened  tabular  top,  often  represented  in  pictures  of 
Italian  scenery. 

The  Italian  Stone  Pine.  P.  pinea. — This  tree  resembles  the 
preceding,  but  is  of  lower  stature  and  more  globular  form.  We 
have  not  heard  whether  it  has  been  acclimatized  in  the  southern 
States,  but  it  is  certainly  too  tender  for  the  northern.  There  are 
many  varieties  in  Europe,  some  of  which  attain  dimensions  equal  to 
the  cluster  pine. 

The  Chinese  Lace-bark  Pine.  P.  bungeana. — A middle-sized . 
tree  found  in  the  extreme  north  of  China,  which  is  much  grown  in 
pots  on  the  island  of  Chusan.  From  the  fact  that  it  has  been 
chosen  for  that  kind  of  petting  and  dwarfing,  it  may  be  inferred 
that  it  has  some  interesting  peculiarities.  Reported  perfectly 
hardy. 

Corean  Seacoast  Pine.  P.  koraiensis. — A dwarf  species 
growing  near  the  sea  on  the  peninsula  of  Corea,  in  China,  and  in 
Japanese  gardens,  where  it  rarely  exceeds  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  in 
height.  From  the  fact  that  it  is  valued  in  Chinese  and  Japanese 
gardens,  and  reported  quite  hardy,  it  is  probably  a handsome  tree, 
and  should  be  tested  by  large  collectors. 


538 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 


THE  SPRUCE  FIRS.  Abies. 

For  the  reader  not  familiar  with  botany,  the  general  distinction 
between  the  pines  proper,  and  the  firs,  is,  that  the  latter  generally 
have  shorter  leaves  attached  all  round  the  twigs,  or  occasionally  on 
two  sides,  and  the  trees  are  more  uniformly  conical  in  form.  This 
meagre  mention  of  their  differences  can,  of  course,  convey  no 
valuable  idea  of  the  obvious  diversity  of  characteristics  which  they 
present  to  the  eye. 

The  firs  are  subdivided  into  two  great  classes,  the  Abies,  or 
spruce  firs,  and  the  Piceas , or  silver  firs. 

Gordon,  author  of  “ The  Pinetum,”  describes  the  Abies  botani- 
cally,  as  follows : “ Leaves  solitary,  four-sided,  and  scattered  all 
round  the  shoots,  or  flat,  and  more  or  less  in  two  rows  laterally. 
Flowers,  male  and  female  on  the  same  plant,  but  separate.  Cones 
pe?idant , solitary,  and  terminal,  with  thin  persistent  scales.” 

The  White  Spruce  Fir.  Abies  alba. — This  is  a light-colored 
thin-foliaged  tree  with  horizontal  branches ; growing  wild  in  the 
northern  border  of  our  country,  in  the  Canadas,  and  north  to  the 
Arctic  Sea.  Height  fifty  feet ; diameter  of  the  trunk  seldom  more 
than  eighteen  inches.  “ The  bark  is  lighter  colored  than  that  of 
any  other  spruce ; the  leaves  are  also  less  numerous,  longer,  more 
pointed,  at  a more  open  angle  with  the  branches,  and  of  a pale 
bluish-green  ” (Loudon).  Cones  pendulous,  one  and  three-quarters 
to  four  inches  long,  and  five-eighths  to  six-eighths  broad.  We  are 
not  certain  of  having  seen  this  variety  fairly  grown  in  open  ground. 
There  is  much  confusion  existing  between  this  and  the  intermediate 
varieties  of  the  black  and  red  spruces.  The  white  spruce  has 
probably  not  had  a fair  trial  in  cultivated  grounds.  Growing  wild 
it  is  certainly  a thin,  meagre-foliaged  tree,  decidedly  inferior  to 
the  black  spruce  or  the  Norway  spruce.  Grown  thriftily  in  open 
ground,  perhaps  it  may  develop  some  beauty.  There  are  two 
pretty  dwarfs  of  this  species : the  Abies  alba  nana,  which  forms  a 
dense  spreading  bush  three  or  four  feet  high ; and  the  hedge-hog 
white  spruce,  Abies  alba  minima , which  is  much  smaller — almost 
too  small  to  be  useful. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  539 


The  Black  and  Red  Spruces.  Abies 
nigra.  A.  rubra.  — These  beautiful  na- 
tives of  our  northern  border  have  been 
under  a cloud,  or  rather  in  the  shadow  of 
a great  foreign  rival.  The  beautiful  im- 
ported Norway  spruce  has  so  many  good 
qualities,  in  addition  to  the  prestige  of 
being  a foj'rign  tree,  that  no  native  of  only 
equal  merit  can  vie  with  it  in  popularity. 

Yet  our  black  spruce,  which  more  than 
any  other  resembles  the  Norway  spruce, 
is  in  some  respects  a finer  tree.  The 
latter  is  the  more  graceful  in  the  first  ten 
years  of  its  growth,  but  afterwards  the 
droop  of  its  branches  is  sometimes  saggy 
rather  than  graceful.  The  black  spruce  is  more  sturdy  looking  in 
its  outline,  and  its  branches  which  have  a more  upright  direction  at 
first,  afterwards  bear  themselves  in  nearly  horizontal,  but  not 
drooping  masses,  having  apparently  more  strength  than  those  of  the 
Norway.  This  alone  gives  it  an  expression  that,  as  far  as  it  goes, 
makes  it  a superior  tree.  Fig.  171  is  a portrait  of  a specimen 
growing  wild  on  Mt.  Desert  Island,  on  the  coast  of  Maine,  and 
gives  a very  correct  idea  of  the  character  of  the  tree.  Its  rate  of 
growth  is  from  two  to  three  feet  a year  in  good  soils,  or  about  the 
same  as  that  of  the  Norway  spruce ; but  it  does  not  eventually 
become  so  lofty  a tree,  eighty  feet  being  its  maximum  height.  The 
author,  in  the  spring  of  1847,  planted  a Norway  spruce  and  a black 
spruce  of  the  bluish-green  sort  contiguous  to  each  other,  in  a warm 
sandy  loam.  Both  trees  proved  to  be  superb  representatives  of 
their  species.  The  former  is  now  (1870)  about  fifty  feet  in  height, 
and  the  latter  forty-five  feet,  and  each  covers  an  area  of  thirty  feet 
in  diameter ; their  lower  branches  resting  upon  the  ground.  But 
the  black  spruce,  if  the  wood  and  foliage  of  both  could  be  weighed 
entire,  would  be  found  the  heavier  of  the  two.  The  horizontal 
branches  of  the  latter  have  the  appearance  of  bending  with  the 
weight  of  their  foliage,  while  those  of  the  Norway  spruce  decline  so 
directly  from  the  trunk  as  to  convey  the  idea  of  a sag,  rather  than 


Fig.  1 7 1. 


540  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

a bend.  We  do  not  wish  to  abuse  this  graceful  peculiarity  of  the 
imported  tree,  but  only  to  call  attention  by  a comparison,  to  the 
decided  and  neglected  merits  of  the  native  fir. 

Michaux  considers  the  red  spruce  only  a variety  and  not  a 
distinct  species.  Other  authorities  differ  with  him,  but  until  the 
matter  is  decided  we  prefer  to  describe  them  under  one  head.  The 
foliage  variations  are  certainly  quite  marked,  and  from  these  alone 
there  would  be  an  equal  propriety  in  calling  one  variety  the  blue 
spruce,  and  another  the  golden  spruce  ; for  among  hundreds  of  trees 
of  this  species  growing  side  by  side,  two  colors  are  as  distinct  as  if 
they  were  of  two  species.  The  trees  of  the  bluish  cast  have  leaves 
a little  longer,,  and  arranged  around  the  twigs  with  more  open 
divergence  than  the  yellowish-green  variety.  Young  trees  of  the 
blue  foliage  seem  more  dense  and  vigorous  than  the  yellowish- 
green  sort,  but  at  maturity  they  have  not  gained  much  in  growth 
on  the  latter.  Though  the  twigs  of  the  yellow-green  sort  are  stiffer 
and  its  leaves  smaller,  the  branches  of  old  trees  have  a way  of 
bending  downwards  at  their  extremities,  so  that  their  foliage  takes 
the  light  in  finer  masses  than  the  blue  sort,  and  at  a distance, 
especially  near  sunset,  an  old  tree  of  the  latter  variety  has  a warmth 
of  tone  that  gives  it  a most  pleasing  expression. 

The  Weeping  Black  Spruce.  A.  nigra  pendula. — A variety 
that  exhibits  a very  pretty  pendulous  habit  on  its  outer  growth. 
We  do  not  know  whether  this  and  the  weeping  black  spruce,  de- 
scribed among  the  varieties  of  the  Norway  spruce,  may  not  be  the 
same. 

The  Norway  Spruce  Fir.  Abies  excelsa. — This  universally 
popular  fir  is  the  great  timber-tree  of  northern  Europe,  rising  in  its 
native  forests,  and  in  the  parks  of  England,  to  the  height  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  It  is  so  healthy,  thrifty,  and  graceful  when 
young,  and  adapts  itself  to  so  great  a variety  of  soils  and  climates, 
that  no  native  tree  on  our  own  continent  is  so  universally  planted  for 
embellishment.  And  certainly,  among  evergreens,  none  better 
deserves  to  be ; for  though  our  white  pine  has  a grander  character, 
and  the  hemlock  more  delicately  beautiful  foliage,  more  time  is 
required  to  develop  their  forms  and  characters.  The  Norway 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 541 


spruce  is  a graceful  mass  of  drooping  foliage  from  youth  to  age,  but 
perhaps  there  is  no  period  when  its  graces  are  more  conspicuous, 
and  its  faults  less  so,  than  when  it  has  been  planted  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  years.  After  that  age  it  begins  to  exhibit,  little  by  little,  the 
dark  interior  colors  and  saggy  droop  of  boughs  that  give  it,  to  a 
slight  degree,  a sombre  and  monotonous  expression,  reminding  one 
of  the  dripping  moss-hung  trees  of  evergreen  swamps.  In  June 
and  July,  when  the  growing  twigs  are  in  a succulent  state,  and 
bending  by  their  own  weight,  their  velvety  masses  of  verdure  pro- 
duce a more  exquisite  effect  than  those  of  any  deciduous  tree 
we  know  of,  and  very  few  evergreens  equal  the  Norway  spruce  in 
this  species  of  grace  ; though  most  of  the  Abies  and  Picea  family 
are  peculiarly  beautiful  during  the  growing  season  from  the  same 
cause. 

There  is  a great  difference  of  growth  among  Norway  spruce 
trees,  and  a skillful  judge  of  trees  will  be  able  to  select  from  the 
nursery  those  which  are  likely  to  develop  the  greatest  luxuriance  of 
foliage  and  grace  of  form  ; or,  at  least  those  which  will  develop  the 
greatest  beauty  during  fifteen  or  twenty  years.  After  that  age  it 
sometimes  happens  that  trees  of  the  stiffer  and  more  meagre  foliage 
while  young,  form  heads  as  dense  and  well  broken  by  light  and 
shadow  as  those  which  have  been  more  beautiful  in  their  early 
growth. 

In  Chapter  XIV  will  be  found  some  suggestions  on  artificial 
adaptations  of  trees,  some  of  which  will  apply  to  the  Norway  spruce. 

Some  interesting  dwarfs  and  sports  of  this  species  are  peculiarly 
adapted  to  small  grounds.  The  following  are  some  of  them : 

The  Pigmy  Fir.  Abies  excelsa  pygmoea. — This  diminutive  vari- 
ety is  perhaps  the  smallest  of  firs,  not  exceeding  one  foot  in  height, 
but  growing  more  laterally.  Its  foliage  is  minute,  of  a light  green 
or  golden  tinge.  Hardy. 

The  Dwarf  Black  Spruce.  Abies  e . nigra  pumila. — This  is  a 
little  larger  than  the  preceding,  and  grows  from  two  to  three  feet  in 
height  and  three  to  four  feet  in  breadth.  Foliage  dark  colored. 

Clanbrasil’s  Dwarf  Spruce.  A.  e.  clanb?‘assiliana. — This  is 
a little  larger  than  the  preceding,  attaining  a height  of  from  two  to 
four  feet,  and  about  equal  breadth.  It  is  considered  less  healthy  in 


542  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

its  growth  than  some  of  the  other  dwarfs.  At  Ellwanger  & Barry’s 
nursery,  in  Rochester,  a specimen  was  shown  us  which,  after  grow- 
ing as  a dwarf  for  some  years,  at  last  started  up  more  ambitiously, 
and  having  elected  a leader,  proceeded  to  grow  at  the  same  rate  as 
ordinary  Norway  firs,  and  was,  when  seen,  twelve  feet  high ! Mr. 
Edward  Dagge,  the  foreman  of  the  ornamental  department  of  that 
great  nursery,  thinks  that  many  of  the  dwarf  firs  are  so  in  conse- 
quence of  the  inferior  vigor  of  these  varieties  being  distributed 
among  an  infinitude  of  twigs ; and  that  when  one  of  the  vertical 
branches  is  favored  by  accident  or  design,  so  as  to  make  it  a 
leader,  it  will  bring  the  tree  back,  in  a considerable  degree,  towards 
the  normal  form  and  habit  of  the  species. 

Gregory’s  Dwarf  Fir.  Abies  e.  gregoriana. — This  is  a dwarf 
of  recent  introduction,  and,  considered  as  an  evergreen  shrub,  is 
the  most  valuable  for  garden  embellishment  of  any  of  the  dwarf 
spruces.  It  will  probably  grow  from  three  to  five  feet  high,  and 
four  to  eight  feet  broad ; has  a compact  yet  not  rigid  growth,  and 
the  foliage  is  a pure  healthy  green.  We  cordially  recommend  it. 

The  Conical  Norway  Spruce  Fir.  A.  e.  conica  (strictat). — 
A variety  of  slow  growth  and  very  compactly  conical  form.  It  will 
probably  make  a tree  twenty  to  forty  feet  high,  of  formal  outline. 
The  Abies  elegans  is  much  like  it,  but  has  stiffer  and  more  meagre 
foliage. 

The  Compact  Norway  Spruce  Fir,  A.  e . compacta , resembles 
the  preceding  in  form,  but  has  a little  more  freedom  of  growth.  It 
is  simply  an  unusually  compact  tree,  with  the  normal  habits  of  the 
species  in  most  respects,  but  of  less  vigorous  growth. 

The  Tortuous  Compact  Spruce  Fir,  A.  e.  tortuosa  compact a, 
is  a dwarfish  and  more  spreading  tree  than  the  preceding,  with 
young  branches  curiously  twisted.  It  promises  to  be  an  interesting 
tree. 

The  Inverted-branched  Spruce  Fir,  Abies  e.  inverta,  Fig. 
172,  is  the  most  curious  and  the  prettiest  of  all  the  sports  of  the 
Norway  spruce.  The  branches  turn  so  naturally  towards  the  earth, 
that  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  as  with  the  weeping  beech,  to  tie 
its  leader  to  a stake  or  stiff  twig,  to  gain  the  height  necessary  to  ex- 
hibit the  charming  oddity  of  its  growth.  When  it  is  thus  trained, 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 543 


the  side  branches  fall  directly  downwards,  and  Fig.  172. 

with  their  rich  covering  of  foliage  drape  the 
stem  as  a robe  falls  around  the  person.  The 
growth  is  vigorous,  and  the  leaves  are  longer, 
larger,  and  of  a brighter  green  than  the  aver- 
age of  the  spruces.  This,  and  Wales’  new 
drooping  Norway  spruce,  and  the  Picea  pecti- 
nata  pendula , their  counterpart  in  another  fam- 
ily, are  the  three  most  charming  novelties 
among  the  hardy  evergreens  suited  to  the 
decoration  of  small  places.  As  the  leading  stem  should  be  tied  in 
a vertical  position  while  it  is  growing  and  succulent,  it  must  be 
handled  carefully  to  avoid  breaking  it  off ; the  jointure  to  the  pre- 
ceding year’s  wood  being  very  weak  at  that  season. 

Wales’  Drooping  Norway  Spruce  Fir.  A.  e . ? — This 

is  a new  variety,  recently  brought  into  notice  by  William  Wales,  of 
Dorchester,  Mass.,  which  has  the  same  habit  of  growth  as  the  A.  e. 
inverta.  Judging  by  a photograph  of  a single  specimen,  it  seems 
to  maintain  a more  erect  leader  than  that  variety,  and  to  have  the 
same  draping  of  branches  drooping  closely  around  the  central  stem. 
Whether  its  foliage  is  so  fine  in  color  we  do  not  know.  It  will 
probably  be  adapted  to  all  the  positions  where  the  former  is  appro- 
priate. Having  been  brought  to  notice  since  the  body  of  this  work 
was  written,  no  allusion  has  been  made  to  it  in  descriptions  of 
plans  in  Part  I ; but  it  may  be  considered  a candidate  for  any 
place  where  the  weeping  Norway  spruce  (inverta),  or  the  weeping 
silver  fir  ( Picea  p.  pendula ),  have  been  recommended.  When  quite 
young  it  does  not  give  an  indication  of  its  final  form,  and  must 
have  its  leader  kept  in  a vertical  position  to  give  an  early  devel- 
opment of  its  peculiarity.  It  will  probably  grow  to  the  full  height 
of  the  species. 

The  Weeping  N.  Spruce  Fir.  A.  e.  pendula. — This  is  a vari- 
ety longer  known,  but  not  so  curious  as  the  preceding.  Its  branches 
droop  in  a graceful  curve,  rather  than  by  direct  inversion.  It  is 
not,  by  any  means,  a dwarf  variety,  but  its  form  is  such  that  it  takes 
less  room  laterally  than  the  common  sort ; but  it  is  less  remarkable 
in  its  drooping  habit  than  the  two  preceding  sorts. 


544  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

The  Pyramidal  Spruce  Fir.  A.  e.  pyramidata. — A vigorous 
growing  variety,  with  more  fastigiate  growth  than  any  other,  and 
also  noticeable  for  the  reddish  color  of  its  strong  young  wood. 

The  Alata  Spruce  Fir,  Abies  e.  alata,  is  a variety  with  heav- 
ier and  longer  leaves,  coarser  branches,  and  ranker  growth  than 
the  common  Norway. 

The  Deformed  Spruce  Fir.  A.  e.  monstrosa. — This  is  simply 
a tortuous  branched  and  almost  leafless  monstrosity,  of  much  vigor 
and  no  beauty.  It  somewhat  resembles  in  growth  the  Chili  aura- 
caria,  but  is  much  more  rambling. 

The  Finedon  Variegated  Spruce  Fir.  A.  e.  finedonensis. — 
A new  English  sport  of  the  Norway  spruce,  remarkable  for  the  yel- 
low color  of  the  upper  sides  of  its  leaves  and  shoots  when  they  first 
appear,  which  afterwards  change  to  a light  green.  If  healthy  it 
may  prove  an  interesting  variety. 

The  Oriental  Spruce  Fir.  Abies  orientalis. — A careless  ob- 
server would  mistake  this  species  for  an  unusually  dense,  rigid, 
small-leaved,  Norway  spruce.  When  small  it  looks  like  an  inferior 
and  dwarfish  tree  of  that  species.  But  as  it  attains  the  height  of 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  the  multiplicity  of  its  twigs  gives  the  tree  a 
superior  density  of  foliage  which  its  early  growth  does  not  promise  ; 
and  when  a large  tree,  its  dark-green  masses  break  into  strong  and 
irregular  lights  and  shades,  and  it  is  then  easily  distinguished  from 
the  Norway  spruce  by  a greater  solidity  of  character,  or,  to  speak 
more  specifically,  by  the  less  distinctly  marked  separation  of  its 
horizontal  branches.  A native  of  the  coast  of  the  Black  Sea,  and 
the  neighboring  mountains,  and  quite  hardy.  It  does  not  grow  to 
so  great  a size  as  the  Norway  spruce  ; seventy  to  eighty  feet  being 
its  maximum  height. 

Menzies  Spruce  Fir.  Abies  menziesii. — A native  of  northern 
California,  the  Shasta  region,  and  the  island  of  Sitchka.  On  a 
casual  glance,  this  tree  resembles  the  bluish  variety  of  our  native 
black  spruce ; but  with  closer  observation,  it  is  seen  to  be  very  dis- 
tinct from  all  the  common  spruces.  Gordon  describes  it  as  fol- 
lows : “ Leaves  solitary,  thickly  scattered  in  every  direction  round 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


545 


the  branches,  twisted  at  the  base,  narrow,  rigid,  linear,  sharp- 
pointed,  in-curved,  silvery  below,  and  vivid-green  above,  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  long,  and  soon  falling  off  after  the  first  season, 
leaving  the  branches  very  naked,  warted,  and  with  a jointed  appear- 
ance. Buds  ovate-pointed,  and  covered  with  resin.  Cones  three 
inches  long,  one  to  one-and-a-quarter  inches  broad,  pendulous,  cylin- 
drical, blunt-pointed,  and  with  the  scales  loose,  and  not  compact.” 
* * “ The  young  twigs  are  slender,  and  of  a yellowish-brown  color. 
The  tree  grows  to  the  height  of  sixty  or  seventy  feet,  with  a pyra- 
midal, thickly-branched  head,  and  a silvery  appearance.”  It  pre- 
fers the  alluvial  soils  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  in  shady  places.  All 
authorities  concur  in  this,  that  it  flourishes  best  in  moist  soils  and 
air,  and  that  in  very  dry  places  and  seasons  it  loses  a part  of  its 
leaves  in  the  summer,  and  then  presents  the  appearance  of  a tree 
being  killed  by  drought.  Yet  we  have  seen  specimens  growing  in 
deep  garden  loam,  and  densely  clothed  with  bright  foliage,  giving 
no  indication  of  the  premature  falling  of  the  leaves  mentioned  by 
Gordon,  and  confirmed  by  most  of  our  own  authorities.  The  form 
of  the  tree  is  compact  and  stiffly  pyramidal,  but  less  stratified  in 
the  disposition  of  its  branches  than  the  balsam  fir.  It  may  be 
considered  almost  hardy  as  to  cold,  but  nearly  worthless  in  many 
locations  by  reason  of  its  burnt  and  denuded  appearance  in 
the  sun. 

One  quality  in  the  Abies  menziesii  deserves  attention.  Its 
leaves  are  stiff  and  pointed,  like  the  sharpest  needles ; and  as  they 
are  very  numerous,  and  point  so  as  to  prick  in  every  direction,  and 
the  growth  is  dense  and  compact,  it  would  seem  a formidable  ever- 
green hedge-tree  for  a fence  against  men  and  animals.  Its  ten- 
dency to  lose  its  leaves  in  summer  will,  however,  condemn  its  use, 
unless  it  shall  be  found  to  thrive  without  this  fault  in  damp 
shady  places. 

The  Himalayan  or  Morinda  Spruce  Fir.  Abies  Smithiana , 
A.  morinda. — This  is  the  most  graceful  of  all  the  Abies,  and  in  its 
contour  and  foliage  takes  a rank  mkhvay  between  the  Norway 
spruce  and  the  hemlock.  When  introduced  about  twenty  years 
ago  it  was  supposed  to  be  quite  hardy,  and  its  novelty  and  beauty 
35 


546  evergreen  trees  and  shrubs. 

created  great  enthusiasm  among  tree-growers.  But  out  of  tens  of 
thousands  which  have  been  imported  and  planted,  there  are  pro- 
bably not  a hundred  fine  specimens  in  the  country.  Some  are 
scorched  by  the  summer  sun,  and  others  cut  down  by  the  cold 
of  winter.  Sargent  thinks  it  may  be  acclimated  in  well- 
drained,  gravelly  soils,  and  partial  shade.  We  do  not  believe  in 
the  shade,  except  for  the  soil  in  which  it  grows.  Ellwanger  & 
Barry,  at  Rochester,  many  years  since,  imported  thousands  of 
plants,  and  out  of  all,  but  one  proved  hardy.  That  one  is  now 
twelve  or  fourteen  feet  high,  feathered  beautifully  to  the  ground, 
and  grows  in  a deep,  warm  loam,  exposed  on  all  sides  to  the  sun 
and  wind,  though  in  a kind  of  shallow  valley.  They  inform  us  that 
all  the  trees  grafted  from  this  stock  071  the  roots  of  the  Norway  spruce , 
have  proved  hardy.  We  have  faith  to  believe,  that  if  care  is  used 
to  get  seed  from  the  hardiest  specimens  growing  in  the  most  ex- 
posed localities  where  they  are  indigenous,  and  grafted  if  necessary 
on  our  native  spruces,  we  may  yet  grow  large  trees  of  them.  It  is 
not  improbable  that  the  seed  usually  obtained  in  India  is  from  the 
most  beautiful  specimens  growing  in  favored  locations  nearest  to 
the  English  settlements,  rather  than  from  the  more  rugged  and  ex- 
posed trees.  However  this  may  be,  whoever  plants  it  in  the 
northern  States,  must  do  so  with  the  hope  of  growing  it  to  large 
size,  qualified  by  the  risk  of  losing  it  at  any  time. 

In  its  native  country,  the  Himalayan  "spruce  attains  great  size. 
A specimen  has  been  measured  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  in 
height,  and  another  twenty  feet  in  the  circumference  of  the  trunk. 
These  are  the  maximum  measurements.  It  grows  on  the  spurs  of 
the  Himalaya  mountains,  on  elevations  from  seven  thousand  to 
eleven  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  is  said  to  be  found  usually 
higher  up  than  the  Deodar  cedar.  It  might  be  supposed  that  it 
would  suffer  more  from  the  density  of  the  air  on  the  low  levels  of 
our  own  great  American  plain  than  from  the  cold  alone,  though 
this  theory  is  contradicted  by  its  success  in  England ! 

The  Japanese  have  named  this  tree  the  Tiger’s-tail  fir,  on  ac- 
count of  the  long  pendulous  branchlets  on  old  trees  resembling  the 
tail  of  a tiger. 

DouCtLass’  Spruce  Fir.  Abies  Douglassi. — This  is  one  of  the 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 


547 


great  trees  of  California  and  Oregon,  where,  in  rich  valleys,  it 
grows  to  a height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet, 
with  a trunk  from  five  to  ten  feet  in  diameter.  In  appearance  it 
strongly  resembles  our  common  balsam  fir,  but  all  its  parts  are  on 
a larger  scale.  Downing  mentions  a specimen  seen  at  Dropmore, 
England,  which  had  been  planted  twenty-one  years,  and  which  was 
then  sixty-two  feet  high  ; of  which  he  wrote  : “ It  resembles  most 
the  Norway  spruce  as  one  occasionally  sees  the  finest  form  of  that 
tree,  having  that  graceful,  downward  sweep  of  the  branches,  and 
feathering  out  quite  down  to  the  turf ; but  it  is  altogether  more  airy 
in  form,  and  of  a richer  and' darker  green  color.  At  this  size  it  is 
the  symbol  of  stately  elegance/’  Doubtless  the  Dropmore  speci- 
men was  an  uncommonly  beautiful  one.  A portrait  of  this  fir, 
grown  to  full  size,- given  in  the  Pacific  R.  R.  Survey,  has  much  of 
the  formal,  sombre  air,  of  our  old  balsam  firs.  Hoopes  (West- 
chester, Pa.),  considers  this  much  hardier  than  the  Himalayan 
spruce,  and  less  liable  to  be  scorched  by  the*  summer  sun ; but  does 
not  think  it  quite  hardy.  Sargent  (at  Fishkill,  on  the  Hudson) 
says : “ Plants  with  us,  in  low  damp  ground,  suffer  occasionally  in 
color  if  not  in  loss  of  leaves  ; while  those  grown  in  the  shade,  or 
on  an  exposed  hill-side  in  poor,  slaty  soil,  succeed  admirably.” 

The  Yew-leaved  Douglass  Spruce  Fir.  Abies  D.  taxifolia. — 
This  is  a variety  with  much  longer  leaves,  and  lesser  growth,  dis- 
tinguished also  by  the  very  level  stratification  of  its  branches. 
Probably  not  hardier  than  the  above. 

Patton’s  Giant  California  Fir.  Abies  Patto?iii . — A native 
of  California  and  Oregon,  discovered  by  Lewis  and  Clarke,  of 
which  specimens  are  known  growing  to  the  height  of  three  hundred 
feet,  and  trunks  forty-two  feet  in  circumference ! Scarcely  known 
yet  in  our  collections,  though  reported  hardy  in  England. 

The  Hemlock  Fir.  Abies  canadensis. — This  common  native 
tree  is  certainly  the  most  graceful,  beautiful,  and  available  of  all 
evergreens  for  the  embellishment  of  small  places.  Hardy  as  an 
oak,  delicate  and  airy  in  outline  as  the  grasses  of  a winter  bouquet, 
.soft  to  the  touch,  fragrant,  yet  forming  deep  masses  of  verdure 


548 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


Fig.  173. 


with  a color  that  cannot  be  improved — what  more  can  we  say  for 
a tree?  Fig.  173  is  a portrait  of  a full-grown  hemlock  in  Studley 
Park,  England.  Fig.  174  suggests  the  general  appearance  of  a 
well-grown  hemlock  at  ten  years  after  planting.  Fig.  175  bears  a 
strong  resemblance  to  a middle-aged  and  picturesque  specimen 
formerly  growing  on  the  edge  of  the  rocky  cliff  below  Niagara. 
Falls.  The  three  will  give  a fair  idea  of  the  varieties  of  form  that 
hemlocks  assume  from  youth  to  age.  When  quite  young,  how- 
ever, they  are  apt  to  grow  with  a lighter,  looser,  and  more  open 
growth  than  any  of  these  cuts  indicate  ; and  for  half  a dozen  years, 
by  cutting  back  one-half  the  annual  growth  every  spring,  a richer 
weight  of  verdure  is  produced. 

The  hemlock  loves  a warm  humid  soil,  and  does  not  develop 
all  its  beauty  in  thin  light  sandy  loams,  where  the  white  pine 
luxuriates.  In  a congenial  soil  the  foliage  is  equally  fine  in  sun  or 
shade,  and  where  it  is  grown  so  that  its  branches  overarch  a walk 
or  road,  no  tree  that  we  know  of  shows  so  fine  a verdure  on  its 
inner  or  shadowed  surfaces.  Yet,  notwithstanding  the  cheerful 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 549 


Fig.  174. 


purity  of  color  which  distin- 
guishes a young  hemlock  tree, 
it  assumes  with  age  a sombre 
tone.  This  expression,  how- 
ever, is  rarely  acquired  before 
it  is  thirty  to  forty  years  old, 
and  may  readily  be  counter- 
acted by  planting  the  Chinese 
wistaria,  Virginia  creeper,  or 
trumpet  creeper  at  its  root. 

These  will  speedily  intermin- 
gle the  rich  drapery  of  their 
lighter-colored  foliage,  and  fall 
like  pendants  from  the  highest  boughs  of  the  tree. 

The  following  are  varieties  of  our  native  hemlock : 

Large-leaved  Hemlock.  A.  c.  macrophylla. — This  is  distin- 
guished in  the  nursery  by  larger  leaves  and  denser  growth  than  the 
common  hemlock,  but  whether  it  will  exhibit  peculiarities  to  render 
it  worthy  a distinct  name  is  a question  to  be  determined  by  longer 
cultivation. 

The  Slender-dwarf  Hemlock.  A.  c.  microphylla,  or  A.  c. 
gracilis. — A small-leaved,  slender-branched,  very  dwarf  variety  that 
looks  thin  and  uninteresting  when  young,  but  may  possibly  have 
some  value  at  maturity. 

Parsons’  Dwarf  Hem- 
lock. Abies  c.  Parsoni. — 

This  is  a very  pretty  dwarf, 
noticeable  for  the  symmet- 
rical out-curve  of  its  slender 
branches. 

Sargent’s  Hemlock. 

Abies  c.  Sargenti. — This  bids 
fair  to  be  one  of  the  most 
curious  and  interesting  ad- 
ditions to  our  stock  of  gar- 
denesque  evergreens — bear- 
ing the  same  relation  to  the 


Fig.  175. 


550  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

common  hemlock  that  the  weeping  beech  does  to  the  common  beech.. 
It  is  of  an  eccentric  rambling  nature,  but  well  clothed  with  verdure. 
Grown  without  training  it  will  probably  be  a broad,  irregular,  flat- 
headed tree  or  great  bush,  with  an  overlaying  of  downward  growing 
branches  like  that  of  the  Scamston  elm.  By  grafting  it  well  up 
on  other  trees,  or  by  tying  its  leader  to  a stick  or  stake,  we  believe 
it  will  be  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most  picturesque  of  evergreens. 
The  best  effect  will  be  produced  when  grafted  well  up  on  an 
ordinary  hemlock  stem.  The  tree  was  brought  into  notice  by  H. 
W.  Sargent,  Esq.,  who  found  it  growing  wild  on  Fishkill  mountain. 

The  Japan  Hemlock  Spruce.  Abies  tsuga. — This  species, 
which  is  a great  favorite  in  J apanese  gardens,  seems  scarcely  known 
yet  in  this  country.  On  the  mountains  near  Yeddo  it  is  a lofty 
tree,  while  in  gardens  it  is  grown  in  pots  and  boxes  to  any  size 
that  the  gardeners  desire.  There  is  also  a variety  that  is  dwarf  by 
nature. 

The  California  Hemlock.  Abies  mertensiana.  Abies  canaden- 
sis taxifolia. — This  is  described  in  Gordon’s  Pinetum  as  “A  hand- 
some, bushy,  round-headed  tree,  growing  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  from  four  to  six  feet  in  diameter, 
with  a straight  round  stem,  etc.  It  is  quite  hardy,  and  resembles  in 
general  appearance  the  hemlock  spruce.”  * * “It  is  found  in 

Oregon  and  Northern  California,  where  it  constitutes  one-half  the 
timber  in  the  neighborhood.”  Probably  only  a grosser  variety  of 
6ur  native  hemlock. 


THE  SILVER  FIRS.  Picea. 

The  difference  between  the  spruce  fir  family  and  the  silver  firs, 
aside  from  their  botanical  traits,  may  be  briefly  mentioned  as 
follows : 

The  silver  firs  have  a more  rigid  horizontality  of  branches,  and 
the  stratification  of  their  foliage  is  usually  more  marked  and  formal. 
In  general  outlines  the  two  families  differ  but  little,  but  the  rigidity 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


551 


of  the  branching  in  silver  firs  gives  them  a more  monotonous  and 
less  picturesque  expression  at  maturity.  In  general  tone  of  color 
there  is  little  difference ; but  the  leaves  of  the  Piceas , when  seen 
from  below,  show  more  or  less  white,  yellowish-white,  or  gray  lines, 
which  fact  gave  rise  to  the  name  Silver  Firs.  This  peculiarity, 
however,  makes  little  display,  except  to  persons  walking  under,  or 
looking  up  to  them.  Nearly  all  the  species  at  maturity  are  sombre 
and  formal  trees ; but  there  is  much  difference  between  them  in 
this  respect,  and  some  of  them  have  a pleasing,  warm  green  tone. 
The  family  embraces  trees  of  all  sizes,  from  three  feet  to  three 
hundred  feet  in  height.  All  which  we  are  about  to  describe  are 
hardy,  or  nearly  so. 

The  Balsam  Fir.  Picea  balsamea. — This  native  tree  of  our 
northern  States  is  the  best  known,  the  most  popular,  and  the  least 
valuable  of  the  tribe.  As  seen  in  the  nursery,  with  its  soft  and 
pleasing  green  leaves,  healthy  growth,  and  agreeable  fragrance,  it  is 
not  singular  that  its  infantile  beauties  have  made  it  the  universal 
favorite  with  all  novices  in  planting.  But  it  is  like  one  of  those 
pretty  little  girls  who  surprises  us  in  a few  years  by  the  suddenness 
of  her  transition  to  prim  and  glum  old  maidenhood.  It  not  only 
does  not  grow  old  gracefully,  but  shows  its  unpleasant  features  so 
soon  after  it  is  out  of  the  nursery,  that  it  is  a wonder  it  has  so  long 
held  place  in  good  society.  Compared  with  scores  of  other  ever- 
green trees,  it  is  not  worth  planting.  Rigid  in  outline,  and  in  its 
mode  of  branching,  and  becoming  year  by  year  darker  in  foliage, 
scarcely  ten  years  pass,  in  many  cases,  before  its  stiff  and  gloomy 
expression  suggests  that  its  room  is  better  than  its  company. 
Height  forty  to  fifty  feet.  Rate  of  growth  about  one  foot  and  a half 
to  two  feet  a year. 

Fraser’s  Silver  Fir,  Picea  Fraseri , is  a smaller  variety  of 
the  balsam  fir,  with  shorter  and  more  thickly-set  leaves  ; found  on 
the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania  and  North  Carolina,  and  of  the 
same  general  character  as  the  preceding. 

The  Hudson’s  Bay  Silver  Fir.  Picea  Hudsonica. — This  is 

one  of  the  finest  of  dwarf  evergreens,  growing  not  more  than  four 


552  evergreen  trees  and  shrubs. 

or  five  feet  high,  and  of  great  proportional  breadth.  The  growth 
is  as  dense  as  that  of  a clipped  hedge,  and  the  foliage  is  a dark, 
velvety  shade  of  green.  A pleasing  companion  for  the  dwarf  silver 
fir,  Picea  p.  compacta.  A native  of  the  northern  parts  of  our 
continent. 

The  European  Silver  Fir.  Picea  pectinata. — A much  nobler 
tree  than  our  native  balsam  fir,  though  it  has  some  of  the  same 
faults  in  a modified  degree.  The  foliage  is  warmer-toned,  longer, 
and  more  silvery  on  the  under  side,  and  the  growth  somewhat 
stronger.  The  disposition  of  the  branches  is  even  more  in  hori- 
zontal layers  than  those  of  the  balsam  fir,  and  when  quite  young, 
this  character  gives  it  the  same  formality  of  shadow  lines  ; but 
these  being  still  more  decided,  in  connection  with  the  warmer-toned 
foliage,  the  tree  has  a more  distinctive  character.  It  finally,  how- 
ever, acquires  a sombre  expression,  but  does  not  arrive  at  that  state 
until  it  is  from  thirty  to  forty  years  old.  When  grown  in  strong 
soils,  it  is  apt  to  lose  its  leader  while  young  by  excessive  cold. 
This  is  not  so  great  a misfortune  as  many  persons  suppose.  It 
is  very  easy  to  select  some  of  the  little  twigs  the  following  spring 
from  the  buds  around  the  base  of  the  leader,  and  make  leaders  of 
them.  The  check  in  the  growth  of  the  upright  stem  may  tend  to 
make  the  foliage  at  the  bottom  more  dense  and  beautiful.  There 
are  many  beautiful  varieties  of  the  silver  fir,  among  which  are  the 
following : 

The  Weeping  Silver  Fir.  P.  p.pendala. — This  is  an  ex- 
quisite tree  when  carefully  trained  to  a stake  until  from  six  to  ten 
feet  high.  It  is  peculiar  in  form,  and  the  foliage  is  quite  bright- 
colored.  The  specimen  in  Parsons  & Co.’s  ground  at  Flushing  is 
a very  embodiment  of  graceful,  slender  elegance.  By  the  smooth, 
downward  sweep  of  its  branches,  it  is  relieved  of  the  formality  of 
stratification  and  outline  peculiar  to  the  family,  and  retains  all  the 
soft  beauty  of  their  foliage.  It  is  a twin  beauty  with  the  pendulous 
Norway  spruce  ( inverta ). 

The  Upright  Silver  Fir.  P.  p.  fastigiata.  (P.  p.  metensis). 
— A German  garden  variety,  of  more  erect  fastigiate  habit  than  any 
other,  and  is  said  to  resemble  the  Lombardy  poplar  in  outline. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


553 


The  Pyramidal  Silver  Fir.  P.  p.  pyramidata. — Another 
German  variety,  a little  less  fastigiate  than  the  preceding,  with  a 
pendulous  tendency  in  the  smaller  shoots. 

The  Tortuous  Silver  Fir.  P.  p.  tortuosa. — A German 
variety,  with  crooked  and  tortuous  branches  and  branchlets. 

The  Oblate  Dwarf  Silver  Fir.  P. 
p.  compacta.  ( P.  p.  nana  ? ) — This  is  a 

charming,  very  low  dwarf  variety ; so  broad 
and  low,  that  we  have  ventured  to  add  to 
its  title  the  word  oblate  to  make  the  name 
more  characteristic  of  the  form,  which  is  in 
breadth  nearly  double  its  height.  The  color 
is  a very  warm,  almost  golden,  green.  Height  from  two  to  three 
feet. 

The  Cilician  Silver  Fir.  Picea  cilicica  ( P.leioclada). — This 
is  a very  distinct,  and  very  beautiful  species,  from  the  mountains  of 
Asia  Minor.  Gordon  describes  it  as  i(  a handsome  tree  of  a pyra- 
midal shape,  thickly  furnished  with  vertical  branches  to  the  ground, 
and  growing  fifty  feet  high,  and  three  feet  in  diameter.”  The 
branches  are  thickly  set  on  the  stems,  and  the  branchlets  are  much 
more  irregular  and  intermingled  than  those  of  the  common  silver 
fir.  A fine  specimen,  growing  in  the  grounds  of  Parsons  & Co.  at 
Flushing,  L.  I.,  has  a form  and  expression  such  as  one  might 
imagine  from  a cross  between  the  sturdy  Cephalonian  fir  and  the 
graceful  Himalayan  spruce.  It  Seems  to  us  that  it  will  make  a tree 
of  more  graceful  outline  and  varied  shadows  than  the  old  silver  fir ; 
but  its  mature  character,  as  an  ornamental  tree,  and  its  hardiness, 
cannot  yet  be  determined. 

The  Cephalonian  Fir.  Picea  Cephalotiica. — This  hardy  and 
sturdy-looking  evergreen  takes  a somewhat  similar  rank  among  the 
Piceas  that  our  native  black  spruce  does  among  the  Abies.  Its 
leaves  stand  at  right  angles  and  rigidly  all  around  the  branches, 
instead  of  being  disposed  in  lines  on  the  sides  of  the  twigs  only ; 
and  the  branches,  though  numerous,  and  in  tiers,  on  the  main 
stem,  have  branchlets  in  every  direction,  instead  of  being  in  level 


Fig.  176. 


554  evergreen  trees  and  shrubs. 

lines,  as  in  other  silver  firs.  When  young  the  trees  have  a round- 
ish-pyramidal form,  with  compact  and  solid. masses  of  foliage, 
which,  on  account  of  the  spiney  character  of  the  leaves,  is  un- 
pleasant to  push  against  or  handle.  We  have,  therefore,  else- 
where suggested  the  use  of  this  tree  for  garden  hedges.  The 
color  of  the  foliage  is  a bluish-green  on  top,  and  grayish-green 
beneath. 

Nordmann’s  Silver  Fir.  Picea  ?iordmaniana.  — This  is 
quite  the  finest  of  the  silver  firs  which  have  been  growing  long 
enough  in  this  country  to  give  a fair  impression  of  their  qualities. 
Its  superiority  in  beauty  to  the  common  European  silver  fir  consists 
mainly  in  the  denser  and  larger  masses  into  which  its  foliage 
forms ; the  horizontal  divisions  being  somewhat  less  rigid,  and 
more  rounded  in  outline,  and  its  lights  and  shadows  less  thinly 
stratified.  The  leaves  are  soft  to  the  touch,  do  not  prick  on 
handling,  are  set  at  an  angle  of  450  with  the  twigs,  and  have  a 
lively  warm  green  color,  unsurpassed  by  any  large  evergreen ; in 
length  they  are  about  the  same  as  those  of  the  European  silver  fir, 
but  they  curve  upwards  at  the  ends,  giving  to  the  branchlets  the 
appearance  of  being  much  more  thickly  foliaged.  The  young 
shoots  are  quite  smooth  and  glossy.  A native  of  the  mountains 
around  the  Black  Sea,  and  there  grows  to  the  height  of  one 
hundred  feet.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  with  age  it  will  develop  more 
of  the  monotonous  formality  of  expression  which  distinguishes  our 
own  balsam  fir,  but  its  warmer-toned  foliage  must  always  be  in  its 
favor.  Trees  of  fifteen  to  twenty  years’  growth  in  this  country  are 
certainly  more  pleasing  in  all  respects  than  any  other  large  species 
of  the  Picea  family.  It  is  quite  hardy. 

The  Noble  Silver  Fir.  Picea  nobilis. — Though  this  is  one  of 
the  immense  trees  of  Oregon  and  northern  California,  where  it 
attains  a height  of  two  hundred  feet,  its  growth  when  young  is 
much  more  compact  and  full-foliaged  than  most  of  the  trees  from 
the  Pacific  slope,  having  rather  the  appearance  of  a vigorous  dwarf 
tree  than  of  a scion  of  a lofty  family.  The  leaves  are  about  the 
length  of  those  of  the  balsam  fir,  and  so  thickly  set  on  the  twigs 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


555 


that  the  latter  can  scarcely  be  seen.  ‘The  upper  side  of  the  leaf  is 
a dark  green,  the  under  side  lined  with  white,  giving  the  foliage  a 
bluish-gray  tone.  The  growth  is  slow  and  compact  when  young, 
and  the  tree  has  been  found  quite  hardy  in  the  eastern  States.  Mr. 
Downing,  writing  from  England,  described  the  specimens  seen  there 
as  the  most  majestic  of  evergreens.  The  best  specimens  we  have 
seen  spread  upon  the  ground  with  more  breadth  than  height. 
Probably  they  had  not  yet  reached  the  age  of  most  rapid  upward 
growth.  When  larger  the  branches  are  in  whorls,  disposing  the 
foliage  into  strata,  so  that  it  lies  in  masses,  says  a recent  writer, 
“almost  as  level  as  Utrecht  velvet.” 

This,  after  the  P.  nordmaniana , is  doubtless  the  most  valuable 
of  the  newer  evergreens  of  the  Picea  family. 

The  Great  Silver  Fir.  Picea  grandis. — This  is  another  of 
the  giant  trees  of  the  Pacific  slope.  It  bears  a striking  resemblance 
to  the  common  European  silver  fir,  but  has  rather  longer  and,  per- 
haps, lighter-colored  leaves.  The  branches  are  regularly  disposed 
in  whorls,  and  the  foliage  lies  in  thin  layers.  We  believe  its  growth 
will  prove  too  rank  and  monotonously  symmetrical  to  become  a val- 
uable tree  for  small  grounds. 

* Parsons’  Silver  Fir.  Picea  gratidis  Parsonii. — This  is  sup- 
posed to  be  a sport  of  the  Picea  grandis , originating  in  the  grounds 
of  Messrs.  Parsons  & Co.,  of  Flushing,  N.  Y.  It  is  certainly  the 
most  exquisite  young  tree  of  the  silver  fir  type  that  we  have  seen ; 
exceeding  all  others  in  the  length  of  its  leaves,  and  the  soft  shadings 
of  their  warm-toned  layers.  It  bears  a similar  relationship  to  other 
Piceas  that  the  exquisite  Bhotan  pine  does  to  the  pines.  The  new 
twigs  are  small  and  yellowish-^brown ; older  wood,  slate-colored. 
The  trunk  enlarges  rapidly  near  the  base  like  a cypress. 

Low’s  Silver  Fir.  Picea  lowiana  ( P.  lasciocarpa). — This 
fine  species  differs  from  the  common  silver  fir  and  the  Picea  gran- 
dis principally  in  the  greater  length  of  its  leaves,  which  are  arranged 
on  the  sides  of  the  twigs  in  two  level  lines  as  flatly  as  if  they  had 
all  been  ironed  out ; and  also  in  their  paler  color,  the  more  slender 


.556  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 

character  of  the  branches,  and  the  fact  that  the  latter  are  “ not 
glossy  like  those  of  the  true  grandis  when  young.” — (Gordon.) 

The  Lovely  Silver  Fir.  Picea  amabilis. — This  is  also  one  of 
the  trees  of  California  and  Oregon,  growing  there  occasionally  to 
the  height  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  It  has  longer  leaves  than 
any  other  tree  of  the  family  (except  Parsons’  silver  fir,  which  most 
resembles  it),  being  from  one  and  a half  to  two  inches  in  length, 
arranged  in  rows  on  the  sides  of  the  twigs,  and  of  a bluish-green 
tone.  Young  twigs  a light  brown  ; older  bark  greenish-gray.  The 
smaller  twigs  are  less  regular  in  their  horizontal  direction  than 
those  of  the  P.  grandis  and  P.  Parsonii,  and  the  foliage  is  therefore 
not  quite  so  thin  and  regular  in  stratification.  One  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  silver  firs.  Its  hardiness  is  not  determined. 

The  Siberian  Silver  Fir.  Picea  pichta. — This  is  one  of  the 
most  valuable  of  the  European  firs  recently  introduced,  on  account 
of  its  medium  size  and  dense  foliage.  The  latter  is  of  the  balsam 
fir  type,  but  the  leaves  are  nearly  double  the  size.  They  are  soft 
to  the  touch ; the  young  wood  is  short  and  thick,  but  bends  yield- 
ingly in  the  hand,  resembling  in  this  respect  the  beautiful  P.  nord- 
maniana , from  which  it  differs  in  having  darker  foliage,  denser  and 
shorter  growth,  and  still  greater  pliability  of  young  wood,  which  i§ 
of  a grayish  hue.  The  shade  of  color  is  peculiarly  deep  and  rich 
in  young  trees.  Whether  it  may  not  become  a sombre  tree  with 
age  is  a question.  It  is  advisable  to  plant  it  where  its  deep  green 
color  will  be  contrasted  with  trees  or  shrubs  of  a light  warm  tone. 
A native  of  the  mountains  of  Siberia.  It  will  probably  make  a tree 
of  about  the  height  of  our  balsam  fir,  but  broader,  better  filled  in 
with  foliage,  and  less  sharply  conical.  Our  opinion  of  this  tree  has 
been  formed  principally  from  one  specimen,  which  is  now  about 
twelve  feet  high. 


The  Japan  Silver  Fir.  Picea  firma. — A species  recently 
introduced,  which  has  a strong  resemblance  to  the  common  silver 
fir  at  a little  distance,  but  is  distinguished  on  a closer  approach  by 
its  shorter  and  stiffer  leaves,  thickly  set  on  the  sides  of  the  twigs, 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 


557 


and  terminating  in  two  sharp  points.  The  general  expression  of  a 
tree  of  six  or  eight  feet  in  height  is  rather  rigid  and  uninteresting. 

The  Pinsapo  Fir.  Picea pinsapo . — A native  of  the  mountains 
of  Spain,  regarded  as  hardy  by  Sargent  at  Fishkill  on  the  Hudson, 
and  as  of  doubtful  hardiness,  according  to  Hoopes,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Philadelphia.  The  leaves  are  about  the  length  of  those  of 
the  Norway  spruce,  borne  all  around  the  twigs,  sharp-pointed,  and 
rather  dark  colored.  Branches  and  branchlets  very  numerous,  the 
former  in  whorls.  Probably  of  no  peculiar  value  as  an  ornamental 
tree. 

There  is  a variegated  variety  with  some  of  the  young  shoots  and 
leaves  of  a pale  yellow  color. 

The  Upright  Indian  Silver  Fir.  Picea pindrow. 

Webb’s  Purple-coned  Silver -Fir.  P.  Webbiana. 

These  are  similar  trees,  both  from  the  Himalayas,  where  they 
attain  great  size  and  beauty ; but,  so  far,  they  have  proved  unsuited 
to  our  climate.  Some  cultivators  believe  that  hardy  specimens  will 
yet  be  found  from  which  to  propagate,  as  in  the  case  of  Ellwanger 
& Barry’s  Himalayan  spruce.  When  we  can  know  something  good 
of  them  by  their  growth  on  our  own  soil,  there  will  be  time  to 
describe  them. 


THE  CEDARS  AND  JUNIPERS.  Cedrus  and  Juniperus. 

Under  this  common  head  we  shall  describe  the  two  botanical 
families,  Cedrus  and  Juniperus ; many  of  the  junipers  being  popu- 
larly known  as  cedars.  The  true  cedars  are  natives  of  Asia,  and 
include  the  renowned  Cedar  of  Lebanon,  and  its  more  valuable 
brother,  the  Deodar  cedar.  Of  the  junipers  there  are  species  on 
both  continents  ; — the  native  red  cedar  being  the  best  known  Amer- 
ican representative  of  the  family. 

The  Red  Cedar,  Juniperus  virginiana , is  noted  above  all 
American  trees  for  the  durability  of  its  heart  wood,  which  is  re- 


.558  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


markably  fragrant,  and  of  a dark  red  color ; making  it  pleasing  to 
the  senses  as  well  as  valuable  in  the  arts.  It  grows  from  thirty  to 
forty  feet  in  height,  and  assumes  a variety  of  forms  in  different  soils 
and  parts  of  the  country.  On  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  River,  and 
streams  farther  north,  it  is  usually  a compactly  conical  tree ; at  the 
west  and  south,  it  grows  in  more  irregularly-pyramidal  forms,  with 
much  freer  and  more  open  branching.  “ The  red  cedar  varies  ex- 
ceedingly from  seed ; some  are  low  and  spreading,  and  others  tall 
and  fastigiate ; some  bearing  male  blossoms,  and  others  female 
ones.  The  foliage  in  some  is  of  a very  light  hue ; in  others  it  is 
glaucus,  and  in  some  a very  dark  green.” — (Loudon.) 

The  red  cedar  just  falls  short  of  being  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
of  evergreens.  When  grown  in  rich,  deep  soil,  it  assumes  an  irreg- 
ular and  spirited  outline.  While  young,  in  such  soils,  the  length 
of  its  side  branches,  which  take  a horizontal  direction  near  the 
ground,  give  it  the  appearance  of  a free-growing  evergreen  shrub, 
of  a less  formal  character  than  any  other  evergreen  we  have.  In 
gracefulness  of  growth  it  is  only  excelled  by  the  hemlock,  and  it 
exceeds  that  tree  in  the  diversity  of  its  forms.  The  foliage  in 
spring  and  summer  varies  greatly  in  color  on  different  trees,  from  a 
bluish  to  a yellowish  green.  On  old  trees  the  sunny  side  often 
exhibits  great  warmth  of  tone,  and  a soft  blending  of  strong  lights 
and  shades  on  the  rounded  details  of  its  contour.  But  in  winter, 
though  called  an  evergreen,  its  foliage  turns  to  a dull  brown  that  is 
rarely  pleasing;  and  occasionally  it  is  tinged  with  this  color  in 
excessively  hot,  dry  weather.  This  winter  color,  however,  is  thrown 
off  with  the  returning  warmth  of  spring,  and  the  foliage  resumes 
its  natural  green  some  weeks  before  the  new  growth  shows  itself. 

The  elder  Michaux  made  a mistake,  in  which  Downing  followed 
him,  of  supposing  that  the  red  cedar  flourished  best  near  tide-water ; 
and  that  in  the  western  States  “ it  is  confined  to  spots  where  the 
calcareous  rock  shows  itself  naked,  or  is  so  thinly  covered  with 
mould  as  to  forbid  the  vegetation  of  other  trees”  (Michaux).  Cer- 
tainly it  seems  greatly  at  home  in  a soil  not  far  removed  from 
limestone  rock,  but  it  is  most  luxuriant  in  deep,  alluvial  soils  above 
5uch  rock.  On  the  islands  in  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie,  on  the 
shores  of  Sandusky  Bay,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Maumee  river, 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


559 


we  have  seen  noble  native  growths  of  the  red  cedar.  On  Kelley’s 
Island  there  were  formerly  trees  with  trunks  thirty  inches  in 
diameter.  It  is  also  found  of  large  size  in  the  valley  of  the 
Ohio. 

The  Weeping  Red  Cedar.  J.  virginiana  pendula  ( J.  viri- 
dissinia  pcfidula). — This  variety  is  distinguished  by  more  slender 
branches,  of  which  the  young  twigs  and  growing  wood  are  pen- 
dulous. It  has  a free,  loose,  irregularly  conical  growth,  that 
promises,  o?i  rich  soils , to  make  it  a spirited  old  tree.  The  foliage 
is  of  a decidedly  yellowish  tone  of  green.  It  seems  likely  to  prove 
the  most  interesting  of  the  red  cedars. 

The  Glaucous  Red  Cedar.  J.  virginiana  glauca  ( J.  ciner- 
escensl). — This  is  simply  a variety  of  the  common  cedar,  with 
decidedly  bluish-green  and  abundant  foliage,  in  pleasing  contrast 
with  the  warm  green  of  the  preceding  variety. 

The  Compact  Red  Cedar,  J.  v.  pyramidalis , is  a variety 
described  as  having  an  unusually  fastigiate  habit. 

The  Variegated  Red  Cedar.  J.  v.  variegata. — Of  this  we 
know  nothing  more  than  that  its  foliage  is  said  to  be  “deeply 
variegated  with  a golden  yellow.” 

The  above,  we  believe,  are  the  most  noted  varieties  of  our 
red  cedar  which  have  been  honored  with  names,  and  all  become 
medium-sized  trees. 

The  White  Cedar,  well  known  as  a swamp  timber  tree,  is 
classed  by  botanists  with  the  cypress  family  as  Cupressus  thyoidcs , 
under  which  head  it  may  be  found. 

The  English  Juniper.  J.  communis  vulgaris. 

— This  is  a spreading,  shrubby  bush,  usually  from 
three  to  ten  feet  high,  and  generally  of  little  beauty, 
though  it  sports  occasionally  into  pleasing  forms. 

The  Swedish  Juniper,  J.  suecica , a slenderly 
conical  little  tree,  as  shown  by  Fig.  177,  in  which  pe- 
culiarity it  is  only  excelled  by  the  Irish  juniper.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  available  slender  evergreens  for  small  places, 


Fig.  177. 


5(30  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

growing  to  the  height  of  ten  to  thirty  feet,  and  in  diameter  about 
one-fourth  its  height. 

The  Dwarf  Swedish  Juniper,  J.  s.  nana , is  like  its  prototype 
in  foliage,  but  forms  only  a very  diminutive  low  bush. 

Fin  178.  The  Irish  Juniper.  J.  hibernica. — Fig.  178.  This 
j|  is,  we  believe,  the  most  slender  and  fastigiate  of  all 

lit  evergreens ; and  is  therefore  peculiarly  useful  on 

||i  small  places,  where,  while  occupying  a miminum  of 

IS  space,  it  is  conspicuous  by  its  height ; and  by  its 

ill  vertical  growth  breaks  with  pleasant  contrasts,  when 

1— « Jifflfci"  110t  j-00  frequently  repeated, ‘the  level  lines  of  lawns 

and  terraces.  The  foliage  is  somewhat  darker  than  that  of  the  Swe- 
dish juniper.  It  suffers  occasionally  from  the  sun  in  summer,  and 
where  practicable  should  not  be  planted  where  there  will  be  a 
reflection  of  southerly  light  upon  it.  Though  generally  considered 
hardy,  it  is  advisable  to  mulch  over  the  roots,  and  bundle  the  top 
every  winter  in  the  interior,  north  of  the  latitude  of  New  York.  This 
may  not  be  necessary  to  insure  its  life,  but  adds  so  much  to  the 
brightness  of  the  foliage  in  the  spring  that  it  should  be  practiced  if 
for  that  reason  alone ; but  should  also  be  done  to  save  it  from  real 
danger  in  unusually  severe  winters.  The  slenderness  of  its  form 
makes  it  very  easy  to  bind  with  straw.  There  is  a variety  of  this 
tree,  the  J.  robusta , that  is  said  to  be  more  uniformly  healthy  and 
vigorous  than  the  common  sort. 

The  Caucasian  Juniper,  J.  oblonga , is  a straggling  bush  with 
slender  drooping  branchlets.  Height  five  or  six  feet.  Quite 
hardy,  but  probably  inferior  in  all  respects  to  the  following  : 

The  Oblong  Weeping  Juniper.  J.  oblonga  pendula. — A 
Japanese  variety,  considered  by  competent  observers  who  have  been 
well  acquainted  with  its  growth  since  it  was  introduced  into  this 
country,  about  fifteen  years  ago,  to  be  the  most  interesting  of  all 
the  Junipers.  Its  form  is  what  the  name  implies.  The  pendulous- 
ness is  in  its  small  twigs  only.  Color  of  foliage  a warm  light-green. 
Breadth  about  two-thirds  the  height,  which  at  maturity  is  about 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


561 


twenty  feet.  Sargent  writes  that  it  is  with  difficulty  transplanted, 
and  recovers  slowly  afterward ; but  when  fairly  started  succeeds 
admirably.  Parsons  & Co.,  at  Flushing,  have  beautiful  specimens. 
It  requires  care  and  protection  while  young  from  summer’s  sun  as 
well  as  winter’s  cold.  Hoopes  in  his  Book  of  Evergreens  states 
that  it  may  be  grafted  upon  the  red  cedar.  If  it  is  durable  and 
thrifty  as  a graft  upon  that  stock,  its  beauty  may  be  rendered 
quickly  available  by  grafting  it  not  too  high  on  strong  young  trees 
of  this  common  sort. 

The  Chinese  Juniper.  y sinensis. — This  was  highly  com- 
mended six  years  ago,  but  is  now  considered  by  most  planters  who 
have  tried  it  to  be  almost  worthless. 

The  Canadian  Juniper,  J.  canadensis.  The  Savin,  J.  sabina, 
and  the  Alpine  Juniper,  J.  alpina,  are  low,  broadly  spreading 
shrubs,  that  take  up  a great  deal  of  room  that  may  be  much  more 
prettily  occupied  by  other  things. 

The  Dense  Indian  Junipers,  J.  densa,  y.  repanda  detisa , and 
J.  recuri'a  densa , are  so  well  confused  that  we  do  not  know  if  the  three 
botanical  names  are  of  different  varieties  or  the  same  thing.  The 
species  is  from  the  Bhotan  or  Nepaul  country  in  Asia.  A small 
plant  seen  at  Parsons  & Co.’s  was  the  most  perfect  little  thing  of 
the  Juniper  family  seen  there,  having  a velvety  compactness  of 
foliage  unequalled  by  any  other.  The  name  given  to  it  at  the  nursery 
is  the  J.  repanda  densa.  Hoopes  does  not  consider  these  Junipers 
quite  hardy.  Sargent  makes  them  hardy  at  Fishkill.  We  have 
faith  in  the  one  just  mentioned  merely  by  reason  of  its  very  healthy 
and  hardy  appearance.  Height  and  breadth  three  to  six  feet.  (?) 

The  Scale-leaved  Juniper,  y sqnamata , has  become  one  of 
the  most  popular  of  the  family  since  the  publication  of  the  excellent 
engraving  in  Sargent’s  Supplement  to  Downing’s  Landscape  Gar- 
dening, of  a specimen  growing  in  the  grounds  of  R.  S.  Fields,  N.  J. 
After  seeing  the  engraving  we  think  most  persons  will  be  disap- 
pointed in  the  tree  (or  rather  bush)  itself.  It  certainly  makes  a 
fine  broad  mound  of  the  peculiar  foliage  of  the  Junipers,  but  it  is 
36 


5G2  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

scarcely  more  than  a mound  for  quite  a number  of  years,  though  it 
eventually  assumes  a pyramidal  form.  Where  one  has  room  for 
shrubs  of  much  breadth  and  little  height,  the  squamata  is  one  of  the 
best.  The  foliage  presents  a roughly  broken  surface  and  a prickly 
appearance  when  the  plants  are  young,  but  with  age  becomes  dense, 
and  smoother  in  outline,  and  then  breaks  well  into  light  and  shade. 

The  Creeping  or  Prostrate  Juniper.  J.  repens  (y.  pros- 
trata,  J.  recumbens). — This  is  a true  evergreen  creeper  which 
spreads  in  every  direction,  and  covers  the  ground  with  a deep 
velvety  mat  of  dark  green  foliage.  It  forms  a rich  carpet  for  rocks 
which  have  but  little  soil  upon  them,  and  does  best  in  partial  shade. 
There  are  fine  specimens  in  the  Central  Park.  Height  from  six 
inches  to  two  feet.  Hoopes  mentions  that  the  aphis  or  plant  lice  are 
particularly  injurious  to  this  species,  and  sometimes  kill  them  in 
one  season.  He  recommends  sprinkling  the  plants  frequently  with 
hot  (?)  tobacco  water  until  the  insects  are  destroyed. 

The  Incense  or  Sacred  Juniper.  J.  religiosa. — This  becomes 
a large  tree  in  its  native  Nepaul.  Sargent  considers  it  hardy  at 
Fishkill,  but  makes  no  mention  of  it  as  a beautiful  or  especially 
desirable  sort.  It  is  simply  on  trial. 

The  Cedar  of  Lebanon.  Cedrns  libani. — The  interesting 
religious  associations  of  this  tree,  its  great  size  and  grand  lateral 
expansion  of  head,  so  much  more  noble  in  this  respect  than  most 
of  our  northern  evergreens,  and  the  fact  that  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  specimens  in  the  world  are  those  which  have  been  planted 
in  England  within  the  last  two  hundred  years,  have  all  tended  to 
make  every  planter  desire  a Cedar  of  Lebanon  in  his  collection. 
Yet  it  is  by  no  means  one  of  the  most  beautiful  evergreens  when 
young.  Both  in  contour  and  branch-lines  it  is  rigidly  formal 
during  the  first  fifty  years  of  its  growth,  the  outline  being  conical- 
ovate,  and  the  branching  rather  horizontal ; and  it  develops  the 
peculiar  tabular  expansion  of  its  top  and  grand  lateral  sweep  of 
branches  only  as  it  approaches  a century  or  more  of  growth.  The 
foliage  in  general  appearance  resembles  that  of  the  Juniper  family. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


563 


It  cannot  be  considered  hardy  north  of  Philadelphia,  although 
there  are  a few  fine  specimens  near  the  city  of  New  York.  It  will 
probably  become  a grand  tree  in  the  upper  table  lands  and  moun- 
tains of  the  southern  States. 

There  is  a new  variety  recently  brought  out  in  England  with 
slenderer  and  more  pendulous  branches,  and  named  botanically  the 
C.  1.  pendula . 

The  Deodar  Cedar,  Cedrus  deodora,  belongs  to  the  same 
family  as  the  Cedar  of  Lebanon,  and  has  many  of  the  same 
characteristics  at  maturity,  but  when  young  is  far  more  graceful  in 
its  branching  and  spray.  It  resembles  the  hemlock  in  its  branching, 
but  its  foliage  is  not  so  soft  to  the  touch,  nor  so  pleasing  in  color, 
being  a bluish  or  grayish  green.  Those  who  have  seen  it  in  its 
native  localities  on  the  mountains  of  northern  Hindostan,  describe 
it  as  a tree  of  colossal  dimensions,  uniting  gracefulness  and 
grandeur  beyond  all  other  evergreens.  It  is  found  in  the  same 
regions  where  the  Bhotan  pine  is  indigenous,  near  latitude  30° 
north,  at  elevations  from  six  to  twelve  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 
It  has  been  pretty  well  tried  in  this  country,  and  has  not  proved  hardy 
in  the  northern  States.  Sargent  mentions  that  its  habit  of  making 
a late  autumnal  growth,  makes  it  peculiarly  liable  to  injury  in 
winter,  and  that  it  is  quite  unreliable.  He  believed  they  would  do 
best  on  the  northerly  side  of  hills  or  other  protection  from  too  much 
sun,  and  in  soils  that  are  deep,  poor,  and  dry ; while  Mr.  Meehan, 
of  Philadelphia,  reports  that  all  deodars  on  wet  low  soils  are 
uninjured,  while  those  on  dry  are  killed  outright.  It  is  not  unlikely 
that  specimens  may  be  made  to  grow  to  large  size  as  far  north  as 
Lake  Ontario,  but  such  successes  will  probably  be  exceptional. 
Trees  which  never  attain  large  size  may,  if  but  half-hardy,  be  pro- 
tected at  every  age,  but  those  which  are  planted  for  their  ultimate 
greatness  should  be  of  sorts  that  will  not  be  endangered  by  extremes 
of  heat  or  cold  after  they  become  too  large  to  protect.  The  deodar 
when  young  is  not  so  beautiful  as  the  hemlock.  We  need  not  there- 
fore feel  sad  over  our  failure  to  domesticate  it. 

The  Silvery  Deodar  Cedar.  C.  d.  argentea. — This  is  a 
variegated  variety  of  extraordinary  beauty,  of  which  we  have  only 


564 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


seen  small  plants  in  Parsons  & Co.’s  nurseries.  The  foliage  is  so 
silvery,  that  it  is  fairly  brilliant.  Probably  not  hardier  than  the 
species,  but  considered  as  an  evergreen  shrub,  to  be  protected 
regularly,  it  commends  itself  to  the  attention  of  collectors. 

The  Japan  Cedar.  Cryptomerici  japonica. — This  is  an  ex- 
quisitely graceful  tree  when  young,  and  so  peculiar  in  the  form  and 
droop  of  its  foliage,  that  it  is  quite  unfortunate  it  cannot  be  grown 
as  an  open  ground  tree  in  the  northern  States.  It  is  decidedly 
tender.  At  Newport,  and  near  Philadelphia,  a few  specimens  have 
survived  the  winter  uninjured,  but  they  are  exceptional.  South- 
ward of  Washington  it  is  comparatively  safe.  Sargent  recommends 
that  it  be  grown  at  the  north  in  tubs,  to  be  wintered  in  a cool,  dry 
cellar  or  green-house,  and  placed  where  wanted  on  the  lawn  in 
summer,  burying  the  tubs  in  the  ground,  so  that  the  tree  will  seem 
to  belong  there.  In  its  native  country  it  is  a great  tree. 

The  Crypt07?ieria  elegans. — This  is  a very  peculiar  smaller 
species,  with  foliage  in  general  appearance  between  that  of  the  red 
cedar  and  common  asparagus,  dense,  of  a light  green  color,  and 
somewhat  drooping.  Small  plants  survive  the  winters  in  open 
ground  at  Rochester  with  protection. 


THE  ARBOR-VIT^E  FAMILY.  Thuja.  Biota.  Thuiopsis. 

Under  the  three  botanical  divisions  above  given,  the  different 
species  of  arbor-vitae  are  grouped.  They  are  all  conical  or  pyra- 
midal trees,  or  fastigiate  shrubs,  remarkable  for  the  flattened  ap- 
pearance of  their  leaves  and  branchlets,  which  in  most  varieties 
appear  as  if  they  had  been  pressed. 

Fig.  179.  The  American  Arbor-Vitte.  Thuja  occidental is. 

A — This  beautiful  native  tree,  frequently  called  the 

1*1  white  cedar,  is  now  well  known  everywhere  in  this 
mk  country.  It  grows  wild  in  most  of  the  eastern  and 
Rft  middle  States,  but  in  greatest  abundance  on  the  banks 
of  the  Hudson,  forming  a conical  tree,  branched  to  tbe 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 565 


ground,  and  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  high.  Even  without  clipping, 
it  grows  in  a form  almost  perfect  for  high  hedge  screens,  and  bears 
the  shears  so  well,  that  it  may  easily  be  kept  to  the  height  of  three 
or  four  feet.  It  is  beautiful  in  any  form  it  is  made  to  assume. 
The  foliage  has  a bright  green  tone,  which  is  slightly  browned  by 
the  cold  in  winter.  Fig.  179  is  the  usual  form  of  specimens  grow- 
ing on  exposed  hill-sides. 

Parsons’  Arbor-Vit,e.  Thuja  occidentalis  compacta. — This  is 
a beautiful  sport  of  the  native  sort,  of  a golden-green  tone,  and 
globular  form,  nearly  as  broad  as  high.  The  warmth  and  bright- 
ness of  its  color  are  conspicuous.  Its  growth  is  slower,  broader, 
and  more  compact,  than  the  American  or  Siberian. 

Hovey’s  Arbor-Vit\e.  Thuja  occidentalis  hoveyii. — A pretty 
seedling  of  the  common  arbor- vitas,  of  dwarf  habit,  globular  form, 
and  warm  green  color. 

The  Siberian  Arbor-Vitte.  Thuja  siberica . — This  most 
beautiful  tree  of  the  family  has  come  among  us  in  such  a mysterious 
way,  that  even  our  indefatigable  amateur  arboriculturist,  H.  W. 
Sargent,  does  not  seem  sure  of  its  origin  or  relationship.  It  greatly 
resembles  the  American  arbor-vitae  in  all  its  good  qualities,  but  has 
a more  velvety  tone  of  color,  is  broader  in  proportion  to  its  height, 
and  probably  a lower  tree  or  bush  at  maturit}' ; perfectly  hardy, 
always  beautiful,  and  regarded  either  as  an  evergreen  shrub  or 
small  tree,  unites  more  good  qualities  for  common  use  than  any 
other  we  know  of.  Josiah  Hoopes,  in  his  Book  of  Evergreens, 
claims  it  as  a variety  of  the  American  arbor-vitae. 

The  Tartarian  Arbor- Vit^:.  Biota  tartarica  (B.  pyrami- 
dalis ). — It  is  doubtful  if  it  offers  features  distinct  enough  to  distin- 
guish it  at  sight  from  the  varieties  of  the  American  and  the  Siberian 
arbor-vitaes.  Form  compact,  pyramidal  ; foliage  dark ; hardy. 

The  American  Golden  Arbor-Vtive.  Thuja  occidentalis 
aurea. — A seedling  brought  to  notice  by  H.  W.  Sargent,  Esq.,  which 
he  describes  as  having  its  new  growth  very  distinctly  yellow,  the 
old  foliage  of  a bright,  clear  green,  both  blending  to  form  a most 
pleasing  little  tree,  or  shrub,  and  perfectly  hardy. 


5G6  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 


The  Globe  Arbor-Vim.  Thuja  globosa.—rY\i\s  is  a pretty 
dwarf  shrub,  very  round  and  compact,  and  quite  a favorite  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Philadelphia ; three  to  five  feet  high. 

The  Tom  Thumb  Arbor-Vim.  Thuja  minima  ? — A roundish 
or  oblate  dwarf,  of  compact  habit,  which  originated  in  the  nurseries 
of  Ellwanger  & Barry,  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  is  highly  recom- 
mended by  them.  Height  three  to  four  feet. 

The  Nootka  Sound  Arbor-Vim.  Thuja plicata. — This  is  a 
native  of  the  Pacific  slope,  and  differs  from  the  indigenous  arbor- 
vitae  of  the  eastern  States  in  the  more  vertical  and  flatter  arrange- 
ment of  its  foliage  plaits,  and  its  shorter  and  stouter  young  wood. 
Very  like  the  Siberian  in  the  color  of  its  leaves,  but  less  rich  in 
the  massing  of  its  foliage : quite  hardy. 

The  Gigantic  Arbor-Vim.  Thuja  gigantea. — A tree  of  the 
largest  size,  growing  on  the  banks  of  the  Columbia  river,  where  it 
grows  upwards  of  one  hundred  feet  in  height.  It  is  said  to  de- 
velop into  “ a fine,  umbrella-shaped  top,  and  picturesque  head.” 
This  form  is  unusual  among  evergreens,  and  so  desirable,  that,  if  it 
proves  a characteristic  of  the  tree,  it  must  become  popular  for 
that  reason  alone.  Hoopes,  however,  believes  that  it  will  not  prove 
hardy,  though  it  has  not  been  tested  long  enough  to  determine  this 
point  fully. 

The  Chinese  Arbor-Vim.  Biota  orientalis. — This  is  a little 
beauty  when  quite  young,  and  marked  by  a warmer-toned  green, 
and  a finer  quality  of  foliage,  than  the  common  American.  It  is 
also  less  regular  in  outline,  and  the  foliage  breaks  apart  into  masses 
rather  vertically.  Unfortunately  it  has  not  proved  hardy,  and  is  so 
often  injured  by  winter  and  summer,  that  instead  of  growing  more 
beautiful  as  it  approaches  maturity,  it  becomes  less  comely,  and 
after  a half  dozen  years  trial  is  generally  pronounced  scrawny. 
There  is  a tree  in  the  Bartram  garden  south  of  Philadelphia, 
growing  in  a good  exposure,  which  is  twenty  feet  high,  nearly  as 
broad,  and  with  a trunk  ten  inches  in  diameter ; but  it  is  decidedly 
a meagre-foliaged  tree. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  567 


The  Weeping  Arbor- Vim.  Biota  {Thuja)  pendula.— This  is 
said  to  be  a native  of  China,  growing  wild  there ; also  said  to  be  a 
seedling  originated  in  an  English  nursery.  Both  statements  may 
be  true ; as  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  foreign  seeds  may  have 
been  planted  accidentally.  Hoopes  is  quite  confident  that  it  is  a 
seedling  sport  of  the  Chinese  arbor-vitae.  It  is  a hardy  tree  of 
oblong  form,  with  all  its  smaller  branches  quite  pendulous,  and 
regarded  by  those  who  have  had  it  a long  time  as  one  of  the  most 
pleasing  of  the  arbor-vitaes perhaps,  considering  its  peculiar 
weeping  habit,  the  most  interesting  of  all  for  a single  specimen  on 
a small  place.  Its  beauty  is  heightened  by  winter  protection. 

The  Golden  Arbor-Vitve.  Biota  o.  aurea. — This  exquisite 
little  tree  or  rather  shrub  is  a variety  of  the  Chinese,  and  though 
not  perfectly  hardy,  is  more  so  than  its  parent.  Its  rare  shade  or 
green  is  truly  golden,  and  its  compact  growth,  pretty  ovate  form, 
and  dwarf  habit,  combine  to  make  it  one  of  the  most  indispensable 
of  evergreen  shrubs.  It  is  too  easily  protected  in  winter  to  make 
its  slight  tenderness  a bar  to  its  cultivation  in  all  parts  of  the 
country.  Height  three  to  five  feet. 

The  Variegated  Golden  Arbor-Vim.  B.  o.  aurea  variegata. 
— A variety  originated  in  France.  We  have  not  seen  it,  and  will 
quote  Hoopes’  observations  concerning  it.  “ In  our  opinion  it  is 
the  most  distinct  and  beautiful  of  the  variegated  conifers.  The 
rich  golden-yellow  is  so  exquisitely  shaded  and  mellowed  down  to 
pure  white,  and  again  so  prettily  tipped  with  pink,  as  to  cause  the 
most  inveterate  hater  of  these  oddities  to  respect  it.”  In  reply  to 
Dr.  Siebold’s  assertion  that  these  variations  are  but  results  of  disease, 
and  must  therefore  be  of  weaker  habit  than  normal  plants,  he 
remarks : “ Practice  certainly,  in  many  instances,  refutes  this  theory, 
for  we  frequently  find  the  variegated  forms  even  more  hardy  than 
the  parent  in  its  perfect  state.  A case  in  point  is  this  variety,  for  it 
has  proven  itself  less  liable  to  injury  from  excessive  cold  weather,  or 
sudden  changes,  than  the  species.  It  also  stands  our  hot  summers 
remarkably  well.  We  also  find  the  variegated  yews  to  be  more 
hardy  than  their  parent.”  There  is  another  variegated  variety  called 
the  elegantissima , on  which  the  ends  only  of  the  branches  are  marked 
with  a warm  yellow. 


568  evergreen  trees  and  shrubs. 

The  Pygmy  Arbor-Vit\e,  Biota  o.  pygmcea,  is  the  smallest  of  all 
the  species,  and  of  a rich  dark-green  color. 

Siebold’s  Arbor- Vitye.  Biota  o.  nana. — A round  compact 
dwarf  of  a bright  green  color. 

✓ , H 

The  Nepal  Arbor-Vitte.  B.  gracilis  (B.  nepalensis). — Form 
about  the  same  as  that  of  the  American  arbor-vitae.  Foliage  more 
delicate,  and  of  a darker  green.  Quite  hardy.  The  specimen 
from  which  we  formed  our  opinion  of  this  species  was  in  Parsons’ 
specimen  ground  at  Flushing.  Hoopes  describes  it  as  having  a 
light-green  color ; the  one  we  observed  (in  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber) was  darker  than  either  the  American  or  the  Siberian,  which 
were  growing  near  by. 

The  Broad-leaved  Arbor-Vitte.  Thuiopsis  dolobrata. — A new 
variety  from  Japan  of  strong  growth.  The  branches  are  fastigiate, 
but  drooping  at  their  extremities  and  forming  rather  an  open  head. 
The  foliage  is  a dark-green  above  and  gray  or  “ silvery  ” beneath. 
It  is  a very  popular  tree  in  China  and  Japan,  where  it  reaches  a 
height  of  forty  to  fifty  feet,  and  is  also  much  esteemed  in  England ; 
but  has  not  been  cultivated  long  enough  among  us  to  test  its 
hardiness.  It  is  said  to  do  best  in  shaded  places  and  moist  soil. 


THE  CYPRESS  FAMILY. 

Cupressus , Taxodium , Glypto-strobus , Retinispora. 

The  evergreen  species  of  cypress,  famous  in  old  British  and 
Continental  grounds  for  their  cemeterial  associations,  their  slow 
growth,  great  longevity  and  final  size,  are  the  types  of  the  true 
cypresses  or  cupressus  of  the  botanists  Our  native  swamp  white 
cedar,  and  some  of  the  evergreen  cypresses  of  California  are  classed 
under  the  same  botanical  head.  The  American  deciduous  cypress 
is  named  by  botanists,  Taxodium  ; and  the  new  deciduous  species 
from  China  are  classed  separately  under  the  name  Glypto-strobus. 
Another  class  known  as  Japan  cypresses  are  classed,  botanically, 
under  the  title  Retinispora. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS 


5G9 


Fig.  180. 


EVERGREEN-WALK  IN  PARSON*’  NURSERY,  FLUSHING,  L.  I. 


The  Common  (British)  Evergreen  Cypress.  Cupressus 
sempervu'ens. — A tree  with  dark  foliage  and  fastigiate  habit,  re- 
sembling in  mode  of  growth  the  Lombardy  poplar,  though  not 
quite  so  slender.  This  tree,  so  generally  grown  throughout  England 
and  middle  Europe,  is  found  utterly  unsuited  to  our  middle  States. 
Sargent  seems  to  have  given  up  hope  of  acclimating  any  of  the 
numerous  English  and  Continental  varieties.  We  shall,  therefore, 
make  no  mention  of  them.  The  species  which  now  give  promise  of 
hardiness,  in  the  middle  and  southern  States  at  least,  are  the  new 
varieties  from  the  Pacific  slope.  These  are : the  Lawson  cypress, 
C.  Lciwsoniana , and  the  Nootka  Sound  cypress,  C.  nootkaensis,  more 
generally  known  by  the  botanical  name,  Thuiopsis  borealis. 


570  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

The  Lawson  Cypress.  Cupressus  Lawsoniana. — This  tree 
when  young  looks  like  a cross  between  a hemlock  and  a thrifty  red 
cedar,  with  a dash  of  arbor-vitae  blood,  but  is  more  airy  and  thrifty 
in  growth  than  any  of  these  trees.  Its  main  stem  rises  with  a very 
decided  leadership,  throwing  off  numerous  branches  nearly  at  right- 
angles,  and  at  irregular  distances  around  it.  Those  which  are  near 
the  base,  taking  a more  upright  direction  as  they  grow  in  length,  at 
last  become  almost  vertical,  and  surround  the  centre  stem  so  as  to 
give  the  appearance  of  circles  of  smaller  trees  around  the  parent 
tree.  The  top  growths  of  the  main-stem,  and  of  all  the  surrounding 
branches,  bend  with  the  same  plumy  grace  as  those  of  the  hemlock ; 
but  their  growth  being  more  rapid,  this  peculiar  grace  is  a more 
marked  feature  of  the  tree.  The  growth  of  the  leader  is  so  rapid 
that  it  seems  to  lift  itself  out  of  and  above  the  group  of  environing 
branches  that  form  a dense  mass  below,  so  that  all  its  gracefully 
curving  branchlets  are  very  conspicuous.  The  tree  shown  on  the 
left  of  the  vignette,  page  569,  is  one  of  Parsons’  specimens  of  this  sort. 
The  color  of  the  foliage  is  about  the  same  as  that  of  the  American 
arbor-vitae — perhaps  not  quite  so  bright.  The  young  wood  has  a 
reddish-brown  color,  and  smooth  bark.  Concerning  the  hardiness 
of  this  tree,  accounts  vary.  At  Parsons  & Co.’s  grounds  in  Flushing 
are  very  beautiful  specimens  sixteen  feet  high,  in  open  ground,  that 
do  not  seem  to  have  been  touched  by  the  cold  at  any  time.  Mr. 
Sargent  considers  it  hardy  at  his  place  at  Fishkill,  on  the  Hudson. 
Hoopes  thinks  it  promises  to  be  hardy  near  Philadelphia.  Yet  we 
have  seen  specimens  from  eight  to  ten  feet  high  in  a protected 
situation  in  the  grounds  of  Thos.  S.  Shepherd,  Esq.,  of  “ Edge- 
water,”  on  the  shore  of  Long  Island  Sound,  near  Mamaroneck, 
N.  Y.,  badly  injured  by  the  winter  of  1867  and  ’68,  which  was  not 
unusually  severe.  This  may,  perhaps,  be  attributed  to  their  growth 
in  too  rich  a border  where  they  were  stimulated  into  a strong  late 
fall  growth.  Hoopes  mentions  the  necessity  of  avoiding  this.  At 
Rochester  the  hardiness  of  this  species  is  considered  doubtful. 
We  would  advise  to  take  the  benefit  of  the  doubt,  by  testing  it  every- 
where in  the  United  States.  It  grows  to  the  height  of  one  hundred 
feet  in  northern  California. 

The  C.  1.  erec'a  is  a new  English  variety  of  exceedingly  slender 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS 


571 


and  compact  habit,  and  the  C.  1.  gracilis  is  another  of  a different 
type,  said  to  be  more  graceful  even  than  the  common  form.  These 
seem  likely  to  be  the  best  adapted  to  small  grounds. 

The  Nootka  Sound  Cypress.  Cupressus  nootkaensis , Thuiop- 
sis  bo?'ealis. — This  strongly  resembles  the  Lawson  cypress,  but  is 
more  compact  and  less  graceful ; about  midway  in  general  appear- 
ance between  it  and  a Siberian  arbor-vitae.  The  form  at  the 
bottom  is  globular  in  young  trees,  and  the  top  conical.  The  lower 
branches  are  not  disposed  to  rest  on  the  ground,  like  those  of  the 
hemlock,  Norway  spruce,  or  even  so  much  as  those  of  the  Siberian 
arbor-vitae,  but  curve  upwards  more  decidedly.  The  foliage  re- 
sembles that  of  the  Siberian  arbor-vitae,  dark,  but  bright.  Young 
wood  a dark  purplish-brown.  Growth  more  rapid  than  that  of  the 
arbor-vitaes,  but  less  than  the  Lawson  cypress.  When  young  it 
closely  resembles  the  latter,  but  may  be  readily  distinguished  by 
handling  the  foliage,  which  is  prickly,  while  Lawson’s  is  soft  to  the 
touch.  The  tree  grows  to  great  size  northward  of  the  Columbia 
river,  and  has  proved  hardy,  as  far  as  we  can  learn,  in  all  the  States. 

The  White  Cedar  Cypress.  Cupressus  thyoides  ( Chamcecy- 
paris). — We  have  never  seen  this  native  species  in  cultivation,  from 
which  we  infer  that  it  does  not  do  well  out  of  its  native  swamps. 
Hoopes,  however,  mentions  having  seen  very  beautiful  trees  of  it, 
and  one  very  perfect  hedge  ; and  Emerson,  in  his  “ Trees  of  Massa- 
chusetts,” speaks  of  it  as  “ this  graceful  and  beautiful  tree.”  As  it 
grows  naturally  in  wet  places,  it  is  probable  that  it  will  develop  its 
beauty  only  in  soil  that  is  cool  and  moist. 

The  Golden  Cypress  or  Cedar.  C.  variegata. — This,  Sar- 
gent thinks  simply  a beautiful  variety  of  the  white  cedar,  one  that 
is  highly  valued  in  England  among  variegated  trees,  and  believed 
to  be  hardy  here. 

The  Fragrant  Cypress,  or  Oregon  Cedar.  C.  fragrans. — 
This  tree  is  described  in  the  proceedings  of  the  California  Academy 
of  Natural  Science  as  follows:  “This  species  bears  the  nearest 
resemblance  to  Cupressus  Lawsoniana , but  differs  from  it  most 


572  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


strikingly  in  the  brighter  green  of  its  foliage,  and  its  far  denser 
branchlets ; also  in  the  leaves  being  narrower,  much  more  angular, 
and  sharper-pointed  ; * * * it  is  also  a tree  of  larger  propor- 

tions in  all  respects.”  It  grows  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  with  a trunk  six  feet  in  diameter.  When  growing  singly, 
it  assumes  a columnar  form,  with  long,  slender,  pendulous  branches. 
It  has  not,  we  believe,  yet  been  tested  in  the  eastern  States. 

The  Chinese  Weeping  Deciduous  Cypress.  Glypto-strobus 
sinensis  pendula  ( Taxodium  sinensis  pendula ). — Though  this  be- 
longs to  a species  of  the  conifers , which  are  deciduous,  they  are  in 
all  other  respects  so  allied  in  appearance 
with  the  evergreens,  as  usually  to  be  classed 
with  them.  This  variety  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  New  York  is  certainly  the  most 
beautiful  and  hardy  of  all  the  deciduous 
cypresses.  Fig.  181  shows  the  form  of  the 
fine  specimens  in  Parsons  & Co.’s  grounds 
at  Flushing  ; but  no  engraving  can  render 
the  soft,  downy  tuftings  of  the  foliage,  or 
the  warmth  of  its  light  green  color. 

“Her  sunny  locks 

Hang  on  her  temples  like  a golden  fleece.” 

The  tree  in  its  whole  appearance  is  so 
distinct  from  all  the  trees  generally  cul- 
tivated in  this  country,  that  it  is  certainly 
one  of  the  most  desirable  novelties  among  trees.  We  have  seen  it 
only  in  autumn,  at  which  time  the  weeping  character  of  the  foliage 
is  not  marked,  and  the  outline  is  distinctly  formal.  The  pendu- 
lousness is  only  in  the  curl  and  droop  of  the  young  foliage,  the 
branches  radiating  quite  rigidly.  It  is  known  in  China  as  the 
water  pine,  and  found  principally  in  the  maritime  districts.  It  is 
undoubtedly  hardy  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia, and  at  Sargent’s  place  at  Fishkill,  on  the  Hudson. 
Whether  it  will  succeed  as  well  in  the  same  latitude  in  the  in- 
terior is  doubtful ; but  that  it  is  hardy  enough  to  plant  in  most  of 
the  States,  with  a little  protection,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe. 


Fig.  i S i . 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  573 


Parsons  & Co.’s  superb  specimens,  which  are  now  about  twenty 
feet  high,  are  in  a deep,  warm,  sandy  loam,  and  fully  exposed  in 
every  way.  The  tree  grows  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high,  and 
casts  its  lower  limbs  as  it  rises  ; so  that  at  maturity  its  form  is  like 
that  of  a common  pear  tree,  or  somewhat  more  slender. 

The  Deciduous  or  Swamp  Cypress.  Taxodium  distichum. — 
This  is  the  lofty  and  moss-hung  tree  of  the  gloomy  maritime 
swamps  of  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas,  but  becomes  a stately 
tree  of  some  beauty  in  open  grounds  near  the  sea  south  of 
Philadelphia ; and  there  are  many  fine  specimens  around  New 
York,  some  even  in  quite  dry  localities  in  the  Central  Park;  but  it 
is  quite  inferior  to  the  preceding  in  all  respects  for  private  grounds. 
The  foliage  is  of  fern-like  delicacy,  of  a light  green  color,  but  rather 
thin.  The  trunk  increases  rapidly  in  size  near  the  bottom ; the 
lower  branches  die  out  as  the  tree  gains  in  height,  and  the  top  forms 
a conical  pyramid,  supported  loftily  at  maturity  on  a straight  and 
rapidly-tapering  trunk.  In  the  Bartram  garden,  south  of  Philadel- 
phia, is  a tree,  planted  by  John  Bartram  in  1749,  which  is  now  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  high,  with  a trunk  twenty-eight  feet  in 
circumference  at  the  base,  growing  healthily,  and  to  all  appear- 
ance rapidly.  It  is  of  course  unsuited  to  small  grounds. 

Japan  Cypresses.  Retinispora. — This  new  botanical  family  in 
general  appearance  resemble  the  junipers,  and  the  arbor-vitaes,  as 
much  as  the  cypress.  The  following  have  been  in  cultivation  in 
this  country  long  enough  to  be  pretty  well  tested. 

The  Heath-like  Cypress.  Retinispora  ericoides. — The  first 
small  plants  which  were  sent  out  from  the  nurseries  in  this  country 
attracted  universal  attention  by  the  density  and  moss-like  delicacy 
of  the  foliage,  its  clear  green,  and  the  pretty  pink  tinge  it  often 
wears.  But  it  has  generally  been  voted  nearly  worthless  on  ac- 
count of  a tendency  to  die  by  branches,  and  to  lose  its  leaves.  Our 
summer  and  winter  climate  seem  alike  uncongenial  to  it,  and  it  has 
not,  as  far  as  we  can  learn,  proved  a perfectly  healthy  tree  any- 
where in  this  country. 

The  Japan  Cypress,  Retinispora  obtusa , is  reported  hardy  at 


574  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


Flushing.  In  Japan,  on  the  mountains  of  the  island  of  Nippon,  it 
is  a grand  forest  tree,  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  feet  high,  with 
a straight  trunk  from  three  to  five  feet  in  diameter.  Its  Japan- 
ese name  signifies  “tree  of  the  sun.”  The  plants  in  the  nursery 
have  a free,  spreading  growth,  like  red  cedars,  growing  in  strong 
soils,  with  foliage  resembling  that  of  the  arbor-vitaes.  The  massy 
character  of  the  foliage,  and  the  free  spreading  growth,  so  rare 
among  the  arbor-vitaes,  suggest  that  this  tree,  if  its  hardiness  is 
established,  is  likely  to  take  a conspicuous  place  among  popular 
evergreens.  The  leaves'  have  a warm  green  color,  which  they  are 
said  to  retain  throughout  the  winter.  The  twigs  have  a reddish 
color. 

The  Golden  Retinispora.  P.  pisifera  aurea. — A smaller  and 
slenderer  tree  than  the  preceding,  also  from  Japan,  just  introduced, 
and  said  to  be  “promising.”  Sargent  marks  it  for  us  as  “one  of 
the  most  beautiful  of  trees,”  and  all  those  who  have  it  on  trial 
agree  in  considering  it  uncommonly  beautiful  and  probably  hardy. 


THE  YEW  FAMILY. 

Taxus , Cephalotaxus , Torreya , and  Podocarpus. 

Whatever  legendary  and  poetical  interests  are  associated  with 
the  yews  of  the  mother  country,  seem  unlikely  to  be  maintained 
in  the  United  States.  The  islands  of  Britain  have  a climate  pe- 
culiarly adapted  to  this  tree.  They  there  become  trees  with  massive 
trunks  and  noble  heads.  Though  quite  a number  of  species  are  suf- 
ficiently hardy  for  general  cultivation  with  us,  and  are  among  the 
most  interesting  of  small  evergreens,  they  cannot  equal  their  pro- 
totypes in  England,  nor  their  rivals  among  those  species  for  which 
our  climate  is  best  suited.  There  are  specimens  in  England  eight 
hundred  years  old,  with  trunks  eight  feet  in  diameter.  The  yews 
are  of  slow  growth,  but  great  duration,  and  generally  noted  for 
dark  and  dense  foliage,  resembling  that  of  the  firs,  but  the  leaves 
are  longer  and  thicker.  A deep,  moist,  clayey  soil,  and  partial 
shade,  suit  the  tree  best.  The  foliage  loses  the  purity  of  its  green, 
and  becomes  rusty  when  fully  exposed  to  our  summer  sun. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 575 


The  English  Yew.  Taxus  baccata. — This  is  the  parent  species 
of  most  English  varieties.  A bushy  tree,  of  compact  growth,  ovate- 
conical  form,  and  dark  foliage.  It  is  considered  hardy  at  Newport 
and  New  York,  but  not  in  the  interior  in  the  same  latitude.  It 
should  be  planted  only  in  sheltered  situations,  protected  from 
wind  and  excessive  sunlight.  The  rate  of  growth  is  from  six 
inches  to  one  foot  a year. 

The  Erect  Yew.  Taxus  b.  ereda  ( strirta ). — This  is  a variety 
of  the  above,  of  exceedingly  dark  foliage,  and  fastigiate  habit.  Form 
ovate-conical.  It  is  hardier  than  the  parent,  and  better  adapted  to 
culture  here.  Fig.  42,  page  141,  is  a group  showing  a pair  of  these 
trees  behind  a golden  arbor-vitae.  The  golden  green  of  the  arbor- 
vitae  contrasts  finely  with  the  very  deep  green  of  the  yews,  and  the 
unusual  fineness  and  verticality  of  the  shadow-lines  in  the  latter,  is 
a peculiarity  of  this  variety. 

The  Golden  Yew.  Taxus  baccata  aurea  ( variegata ). — This  is 
an  exquisite  little  shrub  or  tree ; the  leaves  being  touched  with 
yellow  just  enough  to  give  a golden-green  tinge  to  its  color.  Cer- 
tainly one  of  the  prettiest  of  dwarf  trees  for  small  grounds.  Form 
irregularly  conical  or  ovate.  Hardier  than  the  common  yew. 

The  Variegated-leaved  Yew.  Taxus  elegantissima. — Quite 
similar  to  the  above — the  leaves  being  variegated  sometimes  with 
white,  and  again  with  yellow  tips  or  lines.  Hardy  near  New  York, 
and  almost  hardy  at  Rochester.  Form  about  the  same  as  that  of 
the  golden  arbor-vitae  shown  in  Fig.  42. 

The  Irish  Yew.  T.  hibernica. — One  of  the  slenderest  of  the 
yews,  but  not  considered  hardy  even  at  Flushing,  L.  I. 

The  Flattened  Yew.  T.  adpressa. — A low  spreading  shrub 
of  very  dark  fine  foliage,  and  pretty,  red  berries.  For  shady  places. 

Dovaston’s  Weeping  Yew.  T.  Dovastoni. — This  is  considered 
very  beautiful  in  England,  its  growth  being  decidedly  pendulous. 
Sargent,  in  Downing’s  Landscape  Gardening,  alluded  to  it  as  hardy 
with  him  at  Fishkill ; but  he  now  marks  it  “ tender.” 

Heath-leaved  Yew.  T.  ericoides. — Sargent  speaks  of  this  as 
a very  pretty  slender  variety  with  minute  foliage  quite  distinctive, 
and  hardy  with  him  in  1861.  He  now  marks  it  very  hardy.  This 
is  not  the  same  as  Cypress  ericoides  already  described. 


576  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

The  American  Yew,  T.  canadensis , is  a spreading  savin-like 
shrub  that  grows  as  if  around  the  bottom  of  a bowl.  Of  no 
value. 

The  Cluster-flowered  Yews.  Cephalotaxus. — These  are 
modern  additions  to  the  family  of  yews  introduced  from  China  and 
Japan,  that  promise  to  be  more  hardy  than  the  English  yew,  and 
to  bear  our  sun  without  injury.  Those  we  have  seen  are  many- 
branched,  wide-spreading  shrubs  with  long  thick  leaves. 

The  Plum-fruited  Yew.  Cephalotaxus  drupacce  ( Podocarpus 
drupacea ; Taxus  japonica ). — Growing  in  the  north  of  China,  it  is 
described  as  a compact  evergreen  tree,  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
high,  found  wild  on  the  mountains,  and  cultivated  in  the  gardens. 
“ The  leaves  are  arranged  in  two  rows,  laterally  along  the  branches, 
regularly  opposite,  rather  close,  leathery,  stiff  linear,  slightly  curved 
or  falcate,  bluntly  tapering  to  a short  acute  spiney  point  * * from 
three-quarters  to  one  and  one-fourth  inches  long,  of  a deep  glossy 
green  above,”  etc.  (Gordon).  Branches  straight,  stiff,  and  spread- 
ing ; branchlets  in  two  flat  lateral  rows,  short  and  numerous. 
Believed  to  be  hardy  at  New  York  and  Fishkill. 

Fortune’s  Cephalotaxus.  C.  fortimii  mascula,  C.  f.  femina. 
— These  are  male  and  female  plants,  both  of  which  are  known 
by  the  above  popular  name,  but  the  femina  is  said  to  be  less  hardy 
than  the  mascula.  We  consider  this  one  of  the  prettiest  evergreen 
acquisitions  of  late  years.  In  its  early  growth  it  forms  a spreading 
shrub  or  bushy  tree  with  many  branches  and  branchlets,  the  latter  of 
a light  green  color  that  contrast  prettily  with  the  pure  deep  green 
of  the  long  stiff  leaves,  which  are  about  two  inches  in  length.  The 
branchlets  are  generally  described  as  drooping  at  the  ends,  but  the 
specimens  we  have  seen  had  not  that  character.  Parsons  & Co.’s 
best  specimen  is  about  seven  feet  high,  and  eight  or  nine  feet  in 
diameter,  and  of  such  peculiar  appearance  as  to  attract  at  once 
any  observer  of  shrubs  and  trees.  In  China  it  is  found  from  forty 
to  sixty  feet  high,  and  the  branches  are  represented  to  droop 
gracefully.  So  far  we  can  only  regard  it  in  this  country  as  a 
promising  evergreen  shrub  which  has  proved  hardy  around  New 
York,  but  which  should  be  insured  by  adequate  winter  protec- 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  577 


tion.  Ellwanger  & Barry  do  not  think  it  will  prove  hardy  at  Ro- 
chester. 

The  female  variety  has  lighter  colored  foliage  than  the  other, 
and  bears  coral-colored  oval  berries  as  large  as  acorns. 

Harrington’s  Yew.  Cephalotaxus  pedunculata  ( Taxus  Har- 
ringtonia ). — “ A handsome  small  evergreen  tree,  growing  from 
twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  high,  with  numerous  spreading  branches, 
mostly  in  whorls  around  the  stem  ; found  abundantly  in  Japan, 
cultivated  in  gardens  under  the  name  of  Junkaja”  (Gordon). 
Hardly  known  yet  in  this  country. 

Siebold’s  Spreading  Yew,  Cephalotaxus  umbraculifera , is 
another  species  from  the  northern  parts  of  China,  noted  there  for 
the  horizontal  extension  of  its  branches.  Not  tested  yet  in  this 
country. 

The  Podocarpus  Yews. — This  is  a large  branch  of  the  family 
of  yews  which  have  been  discovered  within  the  last  thirty  years  in 
China,  Japan,  and  other  parts  of  Asia,  and  South  America.  Most 
of  them  are  tender,  even  in  England ; but  there  is  reason  to  hope 
that  a few  will  prove  hardy  in  our  northern  States.  But  lately 
introduced  in  American  collections,  and  now 
on  trial. 

The  Japan  Podocarpus. — Podocarpus  ja- 
ponica. — Gordon  describes  this  species  as  fol- 
lows : “ Leaves  alternate,  flat,  linear  lanceolate, 
elongated,  obtuse  pointed,  thick,  leathery  and 
stiff ; from  four  to  eight  inches  long,  and  about 
half  an  inch  wide,  with  an  elevated  rib  almost 
acute  along  the  upper  surface,  but  rounded 
on  the  under  one,  and  tapering  into  a long, 
slender  point  at  the  apex,  and  into  a short, 

. stout  foot-stalk  at  the  base.”  The  color  of  the  foliage  is  the  dark- 
est of  greens  ; but  the  very  unusual  size  of  its  leathery  leaves  gives 
it  a marked  appearance  among  evergreens,  that,  with  its  pretty 
erect  habit,  will  doubtless  make  it  popular  wherever  hardy.  It  is 
considered  so  at  Flushing,  L.  I.,  and  at  Fishkill,  N.  Y.  ; but  we 
have  heard  nothing  from  it  in  other  places.  Parsons’  specimen, 
37 


Fig.  182. 


578  EVE  It  GREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

Fig.  182,  has  not  near  so  long  or  large  leaves  as  Gordon  describes. 
(May  it  not  be  the  P.  chine?isis  ?). 

There  is  a variegated  variety,  originated  in  some  European 
o-arden,  under  the  name  of  the  Podocarpus  j.  elegantissima,  which 
has  pale  yellow  leaves  when  they  first  expand,  but  change  after- 
wards to  the  normal  color. 

The  Chinese  Podocarpus.  P.  chinensis. — Gordon’s  descrip- 
tion of  this  corresponds  in  general  to  the  foregoing,  and  with  Par- 
sons’ specimen  of  the  P.  japonica. 

The  Corean  Podocarpus,  P.  koraiana , is  another  similar 
fastigiate  bush  from  China,  reputed  hardy  in  England,  but  not 
fully  tested  here. 

The  Nubigean  Podocarpus,  P.  nubigcena , from  the  province 
of  Valdivia,  in  Chili,  is  reputed  one  of  the  most  beautiful.  Sar- 
gent supposes  that  the  latitude  and  climate  of  southern  Chili, 
where  this  tree  is  found,  is  a strong  reason  for  believing  that  it 
will  prove  hardy  with  us.  Having  been  there,  ^we  can  state 
from  personal  knowledge,  that  the  coast,  further  south  than  Val- 
divia, on  the  Pacific  slope  of  the  mountains,  has  a climate  modi' 
fied  by  the  ocean  and  air  currents  from  the  Pacific,  so  that  there  is 
never  anything  like  severe  winter  there,  though  a vast  amount  of 
cold  rains  fall  in  winter  on  the  coast ; and  on  the  mountains  the 
same  moisture  falls  in  snow  : but  it  is  only  by  crossing  to  the  east 
side  of  the  Andes,  or  several  hundred  miles  south  of  Valdivia,  or 
Chiloe,  that  winters  of  extreme  cold  like  our  own  are  experienced. 

The  Torreyan  Yews.  Torreyas. — This  is  another  botanical 
branch  of  the  yew  family,  to  which  large  additions  have  been  made 
by  the  discoveries  of  botanists  in  China,  Japan,  and  our  Pacific 
slope.  The  name  has  been  given  in  honor  of  Dr.  Torrey,  one  of 
America’s  most  indefatigable  botanists,  who  was  most  prominent  in 
bringing  it  into  notice.  The  wood  and  foliage  of  most  of  the 
species  emit  a bad  odor  when  bruised,  and  are  therefore  called 
stinking  yews.  The  only  variety  which  bids  fair  to  prove  hardy  in 
the  northern  States  is  the  following,  a native  of  Florida : 

Ihe  Yew-leaved  Torreya.  T.  taxifolia. — This  has  proved 
hardy  at  Mr.  Sargent’s  place  at  Fishkill,  on  the  Hudson.  He  says 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  579 


■of  it : “ This  one  of  our  greatest  accessions  in  the  middle  States, 
being  now  perfectly  hardy  with  us,  and  very  distinctive.  It  is  a 
handsome,  pyramidal  tree,  with  numerous  spreading  branches,  grow- 
ing from  forty  to  fifty  feet  high,  found  in  the  middle  and  northern 
parts  of  Florida,  where  it  is  commonly  known  by  the  inhab- 
itants as  stinking  cedar,  and  wild  nutmeg.  Our  best  specimen 
is  about  eight  feet  high,  very  dense,  showing  nothing  but  foliage, 
like  a thrifty  arbor-vitae,  and  remarkable,  particularly  in  winter,  for 
the  star-like  appearance  of  the  extreme  tips  of  its  shoots.’’ 


THE  SEQUOIA.  Sequoia. 

This  name  has  been  given  to  those  giant  trees  of  California, 
popularly  known  as  the  redwood,  and  the  big-tree  of  California, 
the  latter  being  formerly  named  by  botanists  Washingtonia  and 
Wellingtonia.  * 

The  Big-Tree  of  California.  Sequoia  gigantea  ( Washing- 
tonia, Wellingtonia). — The  size  of  this  giant  among  giants  may 
be  imagined  by  the  fact,  that  through  the  hollow  of  one  of  the 
felled  trees,  a man  on  l^orseback  rode  seventy-five  feet,  and  came 
out  through  a knot-hole  in  the  side,  without  dismounting ! Trees 
three  hundred  feet  high  are  known,  and  one  has  been  measured, 
with  a circumference  of  one  hundred  and  six  feet,  four  feet  from 
the  ground.. 

At  Rochester,  in  the  specimen  grounds  of  Ellwanger  & Barry, 
are  fine  healthy  specimens,  from  ten  to  sixteen  feet  high,  that  do 
not  seem  to  be  injured  in  winter.  In  form  they  are  as  conical  as 
the  balsam  fir ; in  foliage  resemble  the  arbor-vitaes.  The  branches 
« are  numerous,  straight,  evenly  and  irregularly  distributed  from  the 
trunk,  quite  horizontal,  and  small  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the 
trunk.  The  bark  is  of  a light  cinnamon  color.  ■ The  tree  shows 
early  a tendency  to  cast  its  lower  branches.  The  trunk  swells  to 
great  size  at  the  base  in  proportion  to  the  height  of  the  tree,  and 
diminishes  regularly  and  rapidly  above,  like  the  cypress.  Annual 
growth  at  the  top  from  two  to  three  feet.  The  foliage  is  mostly 


* 


680  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

on  the  exterior  of  the  tree,  so  that  the  stem  and  branches  are 
plainly  seen  through  it.  It  is  not  a beautiful  tree,  and  deserves  to 
be  cultivated  in  ordinary  grounds  only  as  a curious  souvenir  of  its 
mighty  family  on  the  Pacific  slope.  Hoopes  does  not  consider  the 
tree  entirely  hardy  ; but  we  believe  its  hardiness  is  now  pretty 
generally  conceded.  It  is  unreliable  in  transplanting,  and  should 
be  bought  in  pots  or  boxes. 

The  California  Redwood.  Sequoia  sempervirens. — This  and 
the  preceding  being  almost  equally  famous  for  size,  and  both 
brought  to  notice  about  the  same  time,  are  often  confounded. 
Sargent  makes  the  following  description  of  their  differences  : — “ the 
foliage  of  the  Sequoia  sempervirens  being  flat,  two-rowed  and  dark- 
• green,  while  that  of  the  Washingtonia  ( S.  gigafitea ) is  needle-shaped, 
spirally  alternate,  and  on  the  branchlets  very  close  and  regularly 
imbricated  like  an  arbor-vitae,  besides  being  a light  or  yellowish- 
green.”  It  has  been  found  too  tender  to  succeed  in  the  northern 
States,  but  may  grow  healthily  south  of  Washington. 


THE  LAURELS.  Laurus. 

The  Noble  Laurel  or  Sweet  Bay.  Laurus  nobilis. — This  is  a 
noble  evergreen  tree  “ or  rather  enormous  sjfirub,  sometimes  growing 
to  the  height  of  sixty  feet,  but  always  displaying  a tendency  to 
throw  up  suckers ; and  rarely,  if  ever,  assuming  a tree-like  charac- 
ter” (Loudon).  It  is  a native  of  the  south  of  Europe  and  north  of 
Africa.  It  was  a favorite  tree  with  the  poets  of  mythology,  and 
several  of  the  Greek  gods  and  goddesses  were  intimately  associated 
with  its  poetical  legends.  At  what  period  of  history  its  leaves 
became  emblems  of  victory  is  not  known,  but  the  Romans  used 
them  on  all  occasions  where  bravery  and  success  were  to  be 
symbolized. 

The  noble  laurel  is  considered  hardy  in  and  near  London,  but 
does  not  attain  a great  luxuriance  north  of  it.  It  will  probably  be 
liable  to  winter-kill  north  of  South  Carolina  and  the  Gulf  States, 
though  in  favored  locations  it  may  thrive  as  far  north  as  Richmond, 
Va.  It  has  a thick  aromatic  leaf,  smaller  and  more  slender  than 


* 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS.  581 

that  of  the  sassafras,  about  four  inches  long  and  one  inch  wide. 
Where  hardy  it  is  considered  a superb  tree  for  massive  hedges. 

The  Carolina  Laurel  or  Red  Bay.  Laurel  carolmensis. — 
An  evergreen  tree,  indigenous  from  Virginia  to  Louisiana,  and 
similar  in  character,  in  most  respects,  to  the  noble  laurel  above 
described.  It  forms  a crooked  trunk  with  few  and  irregular 
branches,  and  only  becomes  luxuriant  in  the  low  wet  lands  of  the 
Gulf  border,  where  it  reaches  a height  of  from  fifty  to  seventy  feet. 
It  is  less  hardy  than  the  Laurus  nobilis. 

The  Catesby  Laurel.  L.  catesbiana. — This  is  a low  ever- 
green shrub  from  five  to  ten  feet  high,  growing  on  the  sea-coast  of 
Georgia  and  the  Carolinas.  It  has  smaller  and  slenderer  leaves 
than  the  foregoing.  How  tender  we  do  not  know. 

The  Portugal  Laurel.  Cerasus  lusitanica. — An  evergreen 
tree  of  the  cherry  family,  native  of  Portugal  and  the  Canary  islands, 
where  it  becomes  a huge  bushy  tree  from  thirty  to  sixty  feet  high. 
In  the  south  of  England  it  is  considered  hardy,  and  one  of  the 
most  prized  of  gardenesque  evergreens.  It  there  ripens  its  seeds 
perfectly  without  protection,  though  in  Paris  it  is  treated  as  but 
half  hardy.  It  grows  in  the  form  of  a broad  pyramidal  bush,  with 
dense  foliage  and  branches  diverging  regularly  from  an  erect  stem. 
The  leaves  are  from  four  to  six  inches  long,  slender,  alternate, 
thick,  glossy,  and  a very  pure  green  color.  Flowers  in  small 
racemes  in  June.  Berries  dark-purple.  Rate  of  growth  about  one 
foot  per  year.  Loudon  remarks  that  the  tree  grows  well  in  any 
soil  that  is  very  dry  and  poor,  or  very  wet ! Many  specimens 
growing  in  England  are  remarkable  for  their  low  spreading  forms. 
In  Oxfordshire,  at  Blenheim,  is  a tree,  or  bush  rather,  seventeen 
feet  high  and  one  hundred  feet  in  diameter ! The  common  form 
of  head  is  a diameter  one-half  greater  than  the  height.  In  the 
latitude  of  New  York  its  cultivation  is  impracticable. 


THE  GORDONIA.  Gordonia. 

The  Loblolly  Bay,  Gordonia  lasianthus , is  one  of  the 
.splendid  flowering  trees  of  the  southern  States,  where  it  is  sub- 


582  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

evergreen,  and  grows  in  moist  cool  soils  from  thirty  to  eighty  feet 
in  height.  At  the  north  it  can  only  be  grown  as  a tub-shrub  to  be 
wintered  under  glass.  The  leaves  are  similar  to  those  of  the 
rhododendron  family.  Flowers  single,  white,  four  inches  in  diame- 
ter, and  fragrant. 

The  Pubescent  Gordonia,  G.  pubescens , is  a smaller  deciduous 
species,  becoming  a tree  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  high  in  the  Gulf 
States,  and  diminishing  to  a shrub  farther  north.  A little  more 
hardy  than  the  preceding,  but  unsuited  to  open-ground  planting 
north  of  the  Carolinas.  Its  large  white  flowers  appear  from  May 
to  August,  and  are  exceedingly  fragrant.  It  does  best  in  a cool 
moist  soil  and  sheltered  situation. 


THE  HOLLY.  Ilex. 

The  hollies  are  mostly  evergreens,  and  embrace  species  of  all 
sizes  from  small  shrubs  to  large  trees ; and  are  natives  of  both 
continents.  Thev  grow  slowly  and  live  long.  The  name  holly  is 
supposed  to  be  a corruption  of  holy,  and  the  branches  are  always 
used  in  England  to  decorate  dwellings  and  churches  during  the 
holydays  of  Christmas.  The  species  thrive  better  than  most  trees 
in  the  shade  and  smoke  of  cities. 

The  European  Holly.  Ilex  aquifolium.  — In  the  British 
islands  this  holly  forms  a very  compact  conical  tree  twenty  to  thirty 
feet  high.  Its  leaves  are  glossy,  deeply  scolloped,  and  armed  with 
many  sharp  points  or  spines.  It  bears  clipping  well,  forms  the 
most  impenetrable  of  hedges  in  the  moist  mild  climate  of  England, 
and  is  more  free  from  the  attacks  of  insects  than  other  hedge  trees ; 
but  it  endures  neither  the  winters  or  summers  of  our  middle  and 
northern  States.  South  of  Washington,  in  shady  situations,  it 
sometimes  develops  its  beauty.  The  varieties  of  this  holly  are  very 
numerous,  and  vary  much  from  each  other ; and  it  is  observed  of 
the  variegated-leaved  sorts  that  they  are  quite  as  healthy  in  their 
appearance  as  the  normal  form.  The  most  marked  varieties  are 
the  smooth-edge-leaved,  I.  a.  marginatum,  having  pointed-oval 
leaves  with  smooth  edges,  without  prickles,  thick  and  leathery ; the 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


583 


hedge-hog  holly,  I.  a.  ferox , with  leaves  crowded  with  spines  and 
rolled  at  the  edges ; the  white-edge-leaved,  I.  a.  alba  marginatum , 
and  the  yellow-edge-leaved,  I.  a.  aurea-7narginatum. 

The  American  Holly,  Ilex  opaca,  is  a beautiful  conical  ever- 
green tree,  similar  in  appearance  to  the  European  sort,  and  some- 
what hardier,  but  not  fully  at  home  north  of  Washington,  though 
grown  with  some  success  all  over  the  country.  In  South  Carolina 
it  becomes  a tree  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  in  height : in  the  middle 
States  half  that  size,  and  at  the  north  still  less.  The  leaves  are 
thick,  tough,  and  very  glossy,  scolloped  and  armed  with  spines  on 
their  edges.  Most  specimens  we  have  seen  growing  in  open  ground 
at  the  north  are  not  sufficiently  covered  with  foliage  to  conceal  the 
hard  stiff  ramification  of  the  branches,  which  present  an  appearance 
similar  to  the  pin  oak.  But  if  these  were  cut  back  to  thicken  the 
growth,  the  tree  could  doubtless  be  made  to  develop  much  of  the 
beauty  that  has  made  the  European  holly  a favorite  for  hedges  ; 
the  leaves  of  the  American  species  having  the  same  kind  of  t 

glossiness.  At  the  north  it  should  be  treated  as  a half-hardy 
shrub,  and  when  clipped  to  promote  a dense  growth,  the  pruning 
should  be  done  with  a knife  between  the  leaves,  as  the  latter  when 
cut  have  rusty  edges  that  mar  the  cleanly  character  of  the  foliage. 

A deep,  rich,  cool  soil,  and  rather  a shady  place,  are  essential  to 
its  handsome  growth. 


MAHONIA,  OR  ASH-BERRY.  Mahonia. 

These  are  mostly  natives  of  the  valley  of  the  Columbia  river, 
and  the  finest  low  evergreen  shrubs  we  have.  The  leaves  are  thick 
and  glossy  like  those  of  the  holly,  with  scolloped  and  prickly  edges. 
Though  pretty  hardv,  they  are  often  injured  by  cold  in  winter.  If 
not  planted  where  living  evergreens  protect  them  in  winter,  they 
should  be  well  covered  with  evergreen  boughs.  Their  growth  is  so 
low  and  bushy  that  this  can  easily  be  done. 

The  Holly-leaved  Mahonia,  M.  aquifolium , is  the  best  known 
variety.  It  forms  a low  broad  bush  covered  with  deep  green  glossy 
leaves,  many  of  which  in  winter  and  spring  are  spangled  with  deep 


584  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

crimson  or  purple,  and  sometimes  yellow,  or  mingled  green  and 
deep  purple.  Flowers  small,  yellow ; April  and  May.  It  grows 
to  the  height  of  five  to  seven  feet  in  its  native  wilds ; and  ten  feet 
in  England.  Probably  five  feet  in  height  and  five  to  eight  in 
breadth  is  about  its  maximum  size  in  our  northern  States.  “ In 
its  native  country  it  grows  in  rich  vegetable  soil,  among  rocks,  or 
in  woods,  where  it  forms  a thick  and  rich  undergrowth.”  It  grows 
better  in  partial  shade  than  in  an  unprotected  exposure. 

The  Mahonia  fascularis  is  similar  to  the  aquifolium , but  has 
narrower  and  more  deeply  toothed  leaves,  which  are  lighter  colored, 
and  the  plant  is  more  tender.  The  Mahonia  nervosa  is  a dwarf 
border-plant  whose  stem  rises  but  a few  inches  from  the  ground, 
but  the  compound  leaves  of  which  are  from  one  to  two  feet  in 
length.  A pretty  and  showy  low  plant.  The  M.  repens , or  creeping- 
rooted  mahonia,  resembles  the  aquifolium , but  has  a more  oval  leaf, 
and  is  a lower  and  less  robust  plant. 

Japan  Mahonia.  M.  japonica  ? — This  variety  has  not  long  been 
grown  in  this  country,  but  it  is  considered  the  hardiest  of  the 
family,  and  probably  the  most  showy. 


THE  ARBUTUS.  Arbutus. 

A half  hardy  species  of  shrub  or  tree,  mostly  evergreens,  and 
natives  of  countries  with  mild  winters.  The  A.  unido , variety 
rubra , is  considered  by  Loudon  the  most  ornamental  variety  of  that 
species.  It  takes  the  form  of  a bush  or  tree,  according  to  the  care 
given  it,  and  becomes  in  the  south  of  England  from  twenty  to 
thirty  feet  high.  Evergreen.  Flowers  reddish,  in  drooping  racemes ; 
September  and  December ; fruit  scarlet,  hanging  with  the  last 
blossoms.  The  A.  hybnda  milleri  is  a variety  with  more  showy 
leaves  and  pink  flowers.  The  Arbutus  andrachne,  A.  andraclme , is 
distinguished  by  smaller  and  glossier  leaves  without  serratures. 
Flowers  greenish-white,  in  March  and  April.  Not  quite  hardy  in 
London.  The  tall  arbutus,  A.  procera,  is  a variety  from  the  north- 
west coast  of  North  America,  with  large  serrate  leaves,  forming  a 
tree  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  high. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


585 


The  Madron  a of  the  Mexicans,  or  Arbutus  menziesii , is 
described  in  the  report  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  survey  as  follows : 
“ A small  tree  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  high,  twelve  inches  diameter 
at  the  base.  Found  on  the  Willamette,  Oregon,  and  ranges  north  of 
the  Columbia,  and  is  there  called  the  laurel.  The  large,  thick,  and 
shining  leaves,  the  smooth  and  colored  bark,  give  this  tree  a tropical 
look,  recalling  the  Magnolia  grandiflora  in  its  general  aspect.  The 
berries  are  red  and  resemble  morello  cherries.  When  ripe  they  are 
quite  ornamental,  and,  together  with  the  rich  foliage,  flowers,  and 
colored  bark,  renders  it  one  of  the  handsomest  trees  I saw.”  It 
seems  as  if  this  ought  to  be  hardy  in  our  middle  States,  but  we 
have  not  heard  that  it  has  be'en  acclimated  on  this  side  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  It  is  described  by  a recent  writer  as  the  most  beauti- 
ful small  tree  of  the  Pacific  slope. 


THE  BOXWOOD.  Buxus. 

This  beautiful  family  of  evergreens  includes  small  trees  as  well 
as  shrubs,  but  is  best  known  by  the  shrubby  boxwood  used  in  old 
gardens  to  form  borders  for  walks.  There  is  no  other  evergreen  so 
dwarfish,  delicate,  and  beautiful,  and  which  is  so  facile  under  the 
shears  or  the  pruning-knife  to  shape  into  any  desired  form  of  ver- 
dant sculpture,  for  which  its  size  adapts  it.  The  dwarf-box  is  used 
for  edgings,  and  the  larger  sorts,  called  tree-box,  are  only  varieties 
of  the  same  species,  distinguished  as  follows  : 

The  Evergreen  Tree-box,  Buxus  sempervirens,  is  a native  of 
many  parts  of  Europe,  found  in  a natural  state  as  an  under-growth 
among  other  trees.  It  becomes  a tree  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet 
in  height,  growing  very  slowly,  and  attaining  great  age.  When 
grown  without  clipping,  it  does  not  form  so  dense  a surface  of 
foliage  as  the  dwarf-box  exhibits,  and  the  greatest  beauty  is  there- 
fore obtained  by  keeping  it  within  less  than  the  maximum  dimen- 
sions. Grown  in  open,  sunny  situations,  the  foliage  is  a warm, 
yellowish-green  color ; but  in  partial  shade,  and  in  the  cool,  deep 
soils,  which  are  most  congenial  to  the  species,  the  color  is  a deep, 
glossy  green. 


58()  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

The  Variegated-leaved  Box-trees,  B s.  argentea  and  B.  s, 
aurea , are,  as  their  names  imply,  simply  marked  with  white  or 
yellow-edged  leaves.  In  the  shade  these  markings ' are  incon- 
spicuous, and  in  the  full  sun  they  have  not  a healthy  appearance, 
so  that,  on  the  whole,  they  are  of  less  value  than  the  un-variegated 
sorts.  There  is  a variegated-leaved  boxwood  tree  in  the  old 
Bartram  garden,  south  of  Philadelphia,  which  is  eighteen  feet  in 
height,  twenty  feet  in  breadth,  with  a trunk  ten  inches  in  diameter, 
the  form  resembling  that  of  a common  apple  tree,  but  with  light, 
pendulous  spray,  and  delicate  foliage,  making  altogether  a very 
charming  small  tree.  It  is  probably  about  a hundred  years  old. 

The  Dwarf  or  Garden  Boxwood,  B.  s.  suffruticosa , is  usually 
seen  from  six  to  eighteen  inches  in  height,  but  grows  to  a massive 
bush  if  allowed  time  for  expansion.  There  is  a specimen  in  the 
grounds  of  Miss  Price,  at  Germantown,  Pa.,  eight  feet  in  height 
and  twelve  feet  in  greatest  extension,  that  is  an  exquisite  mound  ot 
the  richest  verdure  from  the  lawn  to  its  crown.  No  other  ever- 
green shrubs  form  so  naturally  into  smoothly-rounded  surfaces,  or 
present  such  a velvety  tone  of  foliage,  as  old  dwarf  box-woods. 
They  rarely  attain  their  full  size,  or  best  tone  of  color,  except  where 
partially  shaded,  and  are  not  quite  hardy  away  from  the  sea-coast 
north  of  Philadelphia,  though  grown  with  partial  success  in  all  the 
northern  States,  and  in  Upper  Canada.  Edgings  are  made  with 
cuttings  of  one  year’s  growth,  and  should  be  protected  at  the  north 
in  winter  for  many  years  after  they  are  set.  June  is  the  best  time 
for  trimming  them.  The  dwarf-box  forms  an  exquisite  little  shrub 
when  grown  alone,  and  is  planted  less  than  it  deserves  to  be. 


THE  RHODODENDRONS.  Rhododendron. 

Rhododendrons  are  indigenous  on  both  continents.  They  form 
shrubs  from  one  to  ten  feet  in  height,  the  breadth  ordinarily  about 
equal  to  the  height,  with  thick,  glossy,  smooth-edged  leaves,  of  a 
slender  elliptical  form,  three  to  five  inches  long.  Their  flowers  are 
borne  in  terminal  clusters  close  to  the  leaves,  the  separate  flowers 
varying  from  one  inch  to  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  clusters 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


587 


from  two  to  six  inches.  The  colors  range  from  pure  white  to 
pink,  yellow,  lilac,  crimson,  and  deep  purple,  and  their  variegations. 
Period  of  bloom  abotft  one  month,  varying  in  time  on  different 
varieties  from  May  to  August,  but  mainly  in  June  and  July. 

The  following  are  the  principal  species  from  which  the  varieties 
now  in  cultivation  have  sprung ; but  the  various  products  of  hybrid- 
ization have  so  far  surpassed  the  originals  in  beauty  and  hardiness, 
that  the  latter  are  of  little  importance  practically,  except  to  the 
growers  of  new  seedling  varieties,  and  to  show  what  the  gardener’s 
skill  can  effect : 

The  Pontic  Rhododendron,  R.ponticum,  is  a native  of  Ar- 
menia, in  Asia  Minor,  and  in  England  becomes  a spreading  bush 
from  six  to  fifteen  feet  high,  and  of  greater  breadth.  It  does  best 
in  shade,  and  cool,  moist  or  tenacious  soils ; and  is  not  hardy  in 
our  northern  States.  Flowers  in  June,  of  a purplish  color. 

The  American  Rhododendron,  R.  maximum , is  almost  a 
tree,  but  of  a straggling,  open  growth.  It  is  oftenest  found  wild  in 
shady,  moist,  rocky  ground,  contiguous  to  the  humid  atmosphere  of 
running  streams,  where  it  grows  ten  to  fifteen  feet  high,  and  blos- 
soms from  June  to  August.  Flowers  a pale  red  color.  Found 
from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  States.  There  is  a wild  native  variety 
with  larger  leaves,  which  attains  greater  size,  and  bears  purple 
flowers  in  May  and  June,  known  as  the  R.  m.  purpureum: 

The  Catawba  Rhododendron.  R.  catawbaensis. — This  is  a 
native  of  the  mountains  from  Virginia  to  Georgia,  and  forms  a 
lower  and  more  compact  bush  than  the  preceding ; and,  though  not 
indigenous  so  far  north,  is  yet  the  parent  of  varieties  that  are  the 
hardiest  and  most  beautiful  in  the  northern  States.  Its  leaves  are 
the  handsomest,  and  hybrids  from  it  bear  full  exposure  to  the  sun 
in  common  soils  better  than  most  others. 

The  Dotted-leaved  Rhododendron,  R.  punctatum , is  an- 
other wild  variety  of  the  south,  with  pink  flowers. 

The  Golden-flowered  Rhododendron,  R.  crysanthemum , is 
a very  dwarf  variety,  with  yellow  flowers ; found  in  Siberia  and 
Kamtschatka. 

The  Caucasian  Rhododendron,  R.  caucasicum , is  a dwarf 
sort,  which  grows  only  a foot  in  height  on  its  native  mountains. 


588 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


With  the  above  sorts  to  work  upon,  British  and  Continental 
gardeners  have  originated  thousands  of  seedlings  of  all  colors  and 
qualities,  large  bushes  and  small,  tender  green-house  varieties,  and 
hardy  sorts,  that  bear  full  exposure  to  the  sun  in  summer  and  the 
cold  in  winter,  and  well  adapted  to  common  use  everywhere.  Of 
the  latter  the  following  is  a choice  list  of  varieties  recommended  by 
J.  R.  Strumpe,  Esq.,  of  Flushing,  one  of  the  most  skillful  American 
cultivators  of  rhododendrons.  These  have  all  been  tested  in  open 
ground  for  many  years,  and  are  recommended  for  combining  good 
foliage  with  fine  flowers. 

R.  album  candidissbna. — A dwarf  bush. -—The  best  white-flowered 
variety. 

R.  album  elegafis. — Tree-like  habit ; blush-white  flowers. 

R.  album  grandiflorum. — A large  bush ; foliage  handsome  ; 
flowers  white. 

R.  bicolor. — Tall  straggling  grower.  Rose-colored  flowers. 

R.  blandyanum. — Bushy  and  dwarf.  Flowers  bright  cherry. 

R.  blandum. — Bush  middle  size.  Flowers  lilac-white  ; late. 

R.  everestianum. — Dwarf,  round  bush.  Rosy-lilac  with  yellow 
centre. 

R.  gloriosum. — Handsome  tree-like  form.  Large  blush  clusters. 

R.  grandifloriwi. — One  of  the  most  prolific  bloomers.  Rose  to 
crimson. 

R.  purpureum  elegans. — Dwarf,  bushy.  Large  trusses  of  purple 
flowers. 

R.  Leeii  purpureum. — Lee’s  dark  purple.  Middle  size,  bushy. 
The  best  dark  purple. 

R.  roseu7ii  elegans. — Low  and  bushy.  Best  dwarf  with  rose 
flowers. 

R.  speciosum. — Large  bush.  Flowers  light-pink,  and  late. 

It  has  usually  been  recommended  to  form  a peculiar  soil  for 
the  rhododendrons,  to  resemble  that  where  they  are  found  wild  ; 
but  the  best  cultivators  are  now  repudiating  that  idea,  as  far  as 
relates  to  the  hardy  hybrids  from  the  catawbaensis , and  recommend 
deep  culture  in  ordinary  garden  loams  containing  some  clay. 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


589 


THE  KALMIA.  Kalmia. 

This  evergreen  shrub,  also  known  as  the  American  or  mountain 
laurel,  in  its  wild  state  is  smaller  than  the  rhododendrons,  and  is 
found  from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  States  in  rocky,  shady,  and  moist 
places,  such  as  suit  that  shrub.  It  has  not  been  hybridized  and 
improved  by  culture  to  near  so  great  an  extent  as  the  rhododen- 
drons, and  the  natives  of  -the  woods  being  difficult  to  grow  into 
thrifty  shrubs  in  common  soils  and  exposures,  have  not  been  much 
used  for  embellishment.  The  indigenous  varieties  are : 

The  Broad-leaved  Kalmia.  K.  latifolia. — Height  three  to 
six  feet.  Leaves  thick,  glossy  (in  the  shade)  long  and  slender. 
Flowers  in  clusters,  in  June  and  July,  white  to  red. 

The  Narrow-leaved  Kalmia.  K.  angustifolia. — Known  as 
sheep  laurel.  A dwarf  shrub  with  clusters  of  red  flowers,  in  June. 
Two  feet  high. 

The  Glaucous-leaved  Kalmia.  K.  glauca.  — An  upright 
shrub  two  feet  high,  bearing  red  flowers  in  May. 

All  these  species  are  charming  shrubs  where  growing  in  con- 
genial soil,  shade,  and  moisture,  but  do  not  develop  much  beauty 
in  open  situations  and  with  common  culture. 


EVERGREEN  BERBERRIES. 

Some  evergreen  species  have  been  introduced  into  England 
which  are  esteemed.  The  following  may  be  adapted  to  this  country : 
Darwin’s  Evergreen  Berberry.  B.  Darwini. — Described 
(in  England)  as  “ a thoroughly  hardy  evergreen,  with  neat  shining 
dark-green  foliage,  and  in  the  spring  covered  with  deep  orange-colored 
flowers.”  It  is  on  trial  in  our  nurseries ; also  the  B.  neuberti. 
Loudon  mentions  the  sweet-fruited  evergreen  berberry,  B.  dulcisy 
which  grows  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  as  “ an 
elegant  evergreen  bush,”  five  feet  or  more  in  height ; also  some 
Asiatic  varieties  which  are  not  yet  in  cultivation  in  our  nurseries, 
and  probably  not  of  sufficient  merit  to  warrant  their  culture. 


,590  EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS . 4 

THE  ANDROMEDAS.  Andromeda  (. Leucothce  of  Loudon). 

Low  evergreen,  or  sub-evergreen,  shrubs ; mostly  natives  of  the 
southern  States,  some  of  which  have  come  into  notice  at  the  north 
within  a few  years,  and  prove  valuable  acquisitions  in  the  middle 
States. 

The  Andromeda  floribunda , Fig.  183,  is  the 
most  charming  dwarf  evergreen  shrub  we  have. 
It  grows  well  in  the  Central  Park,  and  in  private 
gardens  near  New  York;  but  is  extremely  difficult 
to  propagate,  and  therefore  scarce,  and  high- 
priced.  It  forms  a very  compact  oblate  shrub,  two  to  three  feet 
high,  and  much  broader.  The  leaves  resemble  those  of  the  privet 
in  color,  size,  and  form.  Flowers  in  May  and  June,  small,  white, 
in  spikes  or  racemes  three  to  five  inches  long,  projected  beyond 
the  leaves.  An  exquisite  shrub  while  in  bloom,  and  of  conspicuous 
neatness  of  form  and  foliage  throughout  the  season. 

The  A.  axillaris  is  a dense-leaved  compact  spreading  shrub, 
three  feet  high.  Flourishes  in  the  Central  Park,  New  York. 
Flowers  small,  in  white  spikes,  in  May  and  June.  The  leaves  turn 
a brilliant  reddish-purple  in  autumn. 

The  A.  catesbeii  or  shiny-leaved,  is  a pretty  variety  with  glossy 
leaves  which  turn  to  a brilliant  reddish-purple  in  autumn.  Size 
same  as  preceding. 

A.  spinnlosa  is  a low  variety,  evergreen,  native  of  Canada,  which 
we  have  not  seen  in  cultivation ; said  to  resemble  the  preceding. 


THE  COTONEASTER.  Cotoneaster. 

The  Small-leaved  Cotoneaster,  C.  microphylla , and  the 
Round-leaved,  C.  rotundifolia , are  prostrate  evergreen  shrubs, 
adapted  to  creep  on  rock-wTork  or  walls.  Loudon  says  of  the  former: 
“ It  is  exceedingly  hardy”  (in  England),  “ and  forms  a fine  plant 
•on  rock-work  or  on  a lawn  where  it  has  room  to  extend  itself. 
A plant  at  High  Close,  of  about  ten  years’  growth,  was  six  feet 


EVERGREEN  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


591 


high,  and  forms  a dense  bush  twenty-one  feet  in  diameter.  Grafted 
standard  high  on  the  thorn  or  any  of  its  cogeners,  this  shrub  forms 
a singular  and  beautiful  evergreen  drooping  tree  ; or  it  will  cover 
a naked  wall  nearly  as  rapidly  as  ivy.”  Flowers  white  in  May 
and  June.  Berries  bright-scarlet,  ripe  in  August,  and  remaining 
;on  all  winter.  Not  hardy  at  Rochester. 


THE  AUCUBA.  Aucuba  japonica. 

An  evergreen  shrub  from  Japan,  six  to  ten  feet  high.  The- 
leaves  are  pale-green,  spotted  with  yellow.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
ornamental  of  variegated-leaved  shrubs  in  England,  but  requires 
protection  in  our  northern  States,  and  is  not  classed  as  more  than 
half-hardy  at  Rochester.  It  is  in  some  locations  healthy  and 
beautiful,  but  not  usually  so  north  of  Philadelphia,  nor  anywhere 
.so  fine  as  in  England. 


THE  JAPAN  EUONYMUS.  Euonymus  japonicus. 

Evergreen  or  sub-evergreen  trees  and  shrubs  of  many  and 
widely  differing  characters,  which  are  not  hardy  north  of  New  York, 
and  which  have  not  been  tested  sufficiently  to  enable  cultivators 
to  judge  them  well.  Among  them  are  many  variegated-leaved 
varieties. 


THE  DAPHNE  CNEORUM. 

An  evergreen  dwarf  shrub  or  trailing  plant  of  great  beauty, 
which  has  become  very  popular  during  the  short  time  it  has  been 
in  cultivation  in  this  country.  It  is  a native  of  the  mountains 
of  Switzerland,  growing  naturally  in  moist  soils  and  sheltered 
places.  The  flowers  are  a bright  pink  color,  in  April,  and  again 
in  September.  As  a shrub  it  should  be  grafted  on  stocks  of  the 
Daphne  laureola.  Height  one  to  two  feet.  Hardy. 


Fig.  184. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

VINES  AND  CREEPERS. 

Nr  O one  needs  to  be  reminded  of  the  beauty  of  vines  and 
creepers.  Many  of  the  most  vigorous  and  beautiful 
vines  in  the  world  are  indigenous  in  our  woods,  in  all 
the  States ; growing  on  the  loftiest  trees,  and  clothing 
even  their  summits  with  the  waving  streamers  of  their  foliage.  The 
different  sorts  of  vines  may  be  distinguished  as  creepers,  twiners, 
climbers,  and  trailers.  The  creepers  are  those  which  throw  out 
little  roots  from  their  stems  as  they  climb,  by  which  they  attach 
themselves  to  the  bark  of  trees  and  rough  walls,  like  the  Virginia 
creeper  and  English  ivy.  Twiners,  honeysuckles  for  instance,  rise 


VINES  AND  CREEPERS. 


593 


by  winding  round  and  round  objects  with  which  they  come  in  con- 
tact. Climbers  rise  by  having  tendrils  which  lay  hold  of  twigs  of 
trees,  or  fix  themselves  in  crevices,  and  support  the  vine  till  its 
large  arms  have  wreathed  themselves  upon  some  other  support — 
grape-vines,  for  instance — or  without  tendrils,  by  the  mere  force  of 
their  growth  overlying  the  branches  of  trees  and  finding  support  by 
hanging  over  them,  like  the  wild  roses.  Trailers  are  those  which 
prefer  to  creep  upon  the  ground  like  the  low  vine  blackberry. 

The  Virginia  Creeper.  Ampelopsis  virginiana. — Often  called 
the  American  ivy,  though  it  has  little  resemblance  to  the  true  ivy 
except  in  its  power  of  adhesion  to  the  bark  of  trees,  and  to  walls, 
and  in  the  fact  that  it  forms  an  equally  luxuriant  mass  of  foliage 
upon  them.  The  leaf  is  composed  of  five  irregularly  serrate  leaf- 
lets, radiating  from  a common  point  of  intersection.  These  are 
often,  but  not  always,  quite  glossy  on  the  upper  surface.  The  vine 
is  furnished  with  tendrils  which  flatten  out  against  the  tree  or  wall 
with  which  they  come  in  contact,  and  become  auxiliary  roots, 
attaching  themselves  firmly  wherever  they  can  find  adequate  sup- 
port. Roots  also  break  out  from  the  stem  of  the  vine  where  it 
comes  in  contact  with  such  objects.  The  growth  of  the  Virginia 
creeper  is  very  rapid.  We  have  seen  the  vines  streaming  from  the 
parapet  of  a church  tower  seventy  feet  high,  within  eight  years  after 
being  planted.  On  stone,  or  unpainted  common  brick,  it  forms  a 
thick  mass  of  graceful  verdure,  covering  every  part,  and  pushing  out 
its  young  shoots  in  airy  profusion  from  the  body  of  the  foliage.  It 
is  by  far  the  finest  of  vines  in  this  country  for  covering  walls  where 
it  can  take  root,  or  for  covering  tree  trunks  ; but  on  brick  walls  that 
are  ordinarily  smooth  it  needs  some  fastening  in  addition  to  that 
which  its  own  rootlets  give  it,  to  prevent  the  wind,  which  takes 
strong  hold  of  its  waving  branches,  from  detaching  the  entire  vine. 
In  autumn  the  foliage  turns  to  the  brilliant  crimson  or  purplish- 
crimson  that  landscape  painters  rarely  fail  to  make  a conspicuous 
feature  in  representations  of  American  autumn  scenery.  The  vine 
is  found  wild  everywhere  in  the  States,  and  grows  readily  from 
layers  or  cuttings.  The  flowers  are  greenish-purple,  and  incon- 
spicuous ; fruit  a purple  berry,  in  large  flat  clusters. 

33 


594 


VINES  AND  CREEPERS. 


The  Pepper-vine.  Ampelopsis  bipinnati.  — A variety  with 
compound  pinnate  leaves,  of  lesser  growth  than  the  preceding,  and 
not  so  close  a creeper. 

The  Akebia.  Akebia  quinata. — A vine  of  delicate  appearance, 
recently  introduced,  which  has  proved  thrifty  and  hardy;  and 
covers  whatever  it  climbs  upon  so  well  with  foliage  that  it  is  already 
quite  a favorite.  Flowers  in  clusters,  bluish-violet,  sweet-scented ; 
in  May  and  June. 

The  Birthwort.  Aristolochia. — This  is  a twiner  and  climber. 
It  is  therefore  unsuited  for  walls  ; but  its  great  heart-shaped  leaves, 
from  seven  to  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  borne  with  tropical  lux- 
uriance, make  the  finest  exhibition  of  massy  foliage  for  covering 
isolated  artificial  constructions  of  anything  we  know  of.  It  is 
found  wild  in  the  middle  States,  and  climbs  to  the  tops  of  lofty 
trees.  The  flowers  are  the  shape  of  a syphon  or  hook,  of  a yel- 
lowish-brown color,  borne  in  May  and  June.  It  requires  a deep 
rich  dry  soil. 

The  Common  Trumpet  Creeper.  Bignonia  ( Tecoma)  radi- 
cans. — This  is  a true  creeper,  with  long  pinnate  leaves  composed  of 
seven  to  eleven  leaflets.  It  adheres  to  the  bark  of  trees  and  to 
walls  with  the  same  tenacity  as  the  Virginia  creeper,  and  its  growth 
is  equally  vigorous,  but  its  vigor  tends  more  to  the  top,  so  that  the 
trunk  and  large  branches  become  bare  as  it  grows  old.  The  leaves 
appear  late  in  the  spring,  and  are  not  brilliant  in  autumn.  Its 
magnificent  trumpet-shaped  flowers  are  from  three  to  four  inches  in 
length,  borne  in  clusters  in  August  and  September,  and  of  a brilliant 
orange  color.  It  is  a superb  vine  to  grow  on  old  evergreen  trees 
that  are  not  in  themselves  pleasing. 

The  Large-flowered  Trumpet  Creeper.  Bignojiia  (Tecoma) 
grandiflora. — This  is  a Chinese  variety  with  much  larger,  more 
open,  and  equally  brilliant  flowers  of  similar  color,  and  with 
similar  foliage  to  the  trumpet  creeper,  but  not  quite  so  vigorous  and 
hardy.  Flowers  pendant,  in  large  clusters,  in  July  and  August. 

The  Dark  Red  Trumpet  Creeper,  B.  (T.)  atrosanguinea , is 


VINES  AND  CREEPERS. 


595 


a variety  originated  in  France,  distinguished  by  the  crimson  purple 
color  of  the  flowers. 

The  Yellow-flowered  Trumpet  Creeper,  B.  (T.)  flava 
speciosa , is  a variety  with  flowers  colored  as  its  name  imports. 

The  Bitter  Sweet.  Celastrus  scandens. — A twining,  wiry- 
wooded  vine,  with  handsome,  glossy,  pointed  leaves.  It  twines  so 
tightly  around  the  stems  of  young  trees  as  frequently  to  kill  them. 
Flowers  in  June,  violet  color,  and  inconspicuous.  The  berries  are 
red,  and  showy  in  autumn,  when  they  burst  open,  and  display 
orange-colored  capsules ; but  they  are  poisonous.  Height  fifteen 
to  thirty  feet.  Of  little  value  for  culture.  , 

The  Cissus.  Cissus. — A running  vine,  resembling  the  Vir- 

ginia creeper  in  its  general  appearance,  but  not  of  equal  beauty. 
There  is  a variegated-leaved  variety,  quinquefolia  variegata. 

Clematis  or  Virgin’s  Bower.  Clematis. — The  species  are 

very  numerous ; some  natives  of  Europe,  and  others  of  our  own 
country.  All  are  twining,  of  slender,  irregular  growth,  delicate 
foliage,  and  marked  fragrance  of  blossoms.  They  require  artificial 
support,  and  are  adapted  to  cover  arbors,  bowers,  and  low  trees,  or 
to  be  trained  on  verandas,  but  not  to  creep  on  tree-trunks,  or  to 
decorate  walls.  The  petioles  of  the  leaves  serve  as  tendrils. 
There  are  many  charming  varieties  in  the  south,  not  hardy  at  the 
north,  and  scores  of  hybrids  and  varieties  have  been  originated. 

The  European  Sweet-scented  Clematis,  C.  flamula , has 
compound  leaves,  with  very  narrow  leaflets.  The  flowers  are  quite 
small,  white,  borne  from  July  to  October,  and  exceedingly  fragrant. 
Extent  of  mature  vines  from  fifteen  to  thirty  feet. 

The  White-vine  Clematis,  C.  vitalba , is  a stronger-wooded 
vine  than  the  preceding,  with  broader  leaves,  greenish  white,  incon- 
spicuous flowers,  and  the  distinguishing  peculiarity  of  seeds  around 
which  grow  long  silky  tufts  or  tassels  of  a greenish  white  color, 
forming  a feathery  mass  of  beautiful  effect  in  August  and  Septem- 
ber, when  covering  roofs,  low  trees,  or  arbors.  These  tufts  have 
given  the  names  of  " old  man’s  beard  ” to  this  species.  The  vine 


596 


VINES  AND  CREEPERS. 


quickly  grows  bare  of  foliage  towards  the  bottom,  and  displays  all 
its  beauty  late  in  the  season,  and  at  the  summit,  where  the  fresh 
growth  rests  in  masses.  A useful  vine  to  cover  unsightly  roofs. 

The  American  White  Clematis.  C.  virginica. — Similar  in 
appearance  to  the  preceding,  but  with  more  profuse  and  conspicu- 
ous white  flowers,  in  August,  and  less  showy  seed  plumes. 

The  Vine-bower  Clematis.  C.  viticella. — This  is  a more 
showy  species,  bearing  much  larger  flowers  than  the  preceding 
sorts,  of  various  colors,  blooming  from  June  or  July  to  October, 
and  two  inches  or  more  in  diameter.  Varieties. — The  C.  viticella 
venosa  has  rich  purple-colored  flowers,  touched  with  crimson,  and 
blqoms  profusely  from  June  to  October : considered  the  best.  The 
C.  v.  flora  plena  has  double  flowers  of  the  same  color.  The  C.  v. 
cenilea  has  blue  flowers,  quite  large. 

The  Showy-flowered  Clematis.  C.  Florida. — A Japanese 
species,  with  flowers  white,  blue,  and  purple,  two  to  three  inches  in 
diameter,  from  June  to  September.  Growth  slender,  and  not  quite 
hardy. 

The  Large  Azure-flowered,  C.  aznrea  gratidiflora,  is  a 
Chinese  species,  not  long  introduced,  with  flowers  larger  than  the 
native  or  European  sorts.  The  C.  cenilea , of  the  same  species, 
bears  the  finest  blue  flower.  Both  are  hardy,  and  pretty,  woody 
vines. 

The  C.  Sophia , a Japanese  variety  with  very  large  lilac  blos- 
soms ; and  the  C.  Helena,  another  with  very  large  white  blossoms, 
are  both  elegant  vines,  but  require  protection  in  winter. 

Honeysuckles.  Lonicera. — These  most  cherished  vines  have 
been  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  the  species  hybrid- 
ized and  improved  until  their  beautiful  varieties  are  so  numerous, 
that,  like  the  roses,  they  are  almost  innumerable,  and  a description 
of  them  would  fill  a small  volume.  The  best  varieties  are  the  most 
suitable  of  all  vine  decorations  for  verandas  and  porches.  We 
shall  merely  mention  a few  sorts. 

The  Woodbine  Honeysuckle.  L.  periclymenum. — A native 
of  Europe.  One  of  the  most  showy  in  its  flowers,  which  are  red 
outside  and  buff  within  ; June  and  July  ; berries  deep  red. 


VINES  AND  CREEPERS. 


597 


The  Late  Red  Honeysuckle,  L.  p.  serotinum , is  simply  a late 
variety  with  darker  flowers,  and  very  showy  during  its  blooming. 

The  Dutch  Honeysuckle,  Z.  p.  belgicum, , differs  from  the 
first  only  in  being  more  shrubby. 

The  Yellow-flowered  Honeysuckle,  P.  flava,  is  a native 
of  our  States,  half  hardy,  with  large  ovate  leaves  nearly  joined  at 
the  base,  and  bright  yellow  flowers  in  June  and  July. 

The  Trumpet  Honeysuckles.  Z.  sempervirens. — Indigenous, 
and  sub-evergreen  at  the  south.  Flowers  scarlet,  and  borne 
throughout  the  summer  season  after  May.  The  H.  s.  superba  and 
H.  s.  Browni  are  superior  varieties. 

The  Chinese  or  Japan  Monthly  Honeysuckles.  Z.  japon- 
ica. — Sub-evergreen,  and  not  quite  hardy;  but  of  robust  growth, 
densely  clothed  with  leaves,  constantly  in  bloom  and  deliciously 
fragrant,  and  of  course  universally  popular.  Protection  is  so  easily 
given  them  that  their  slight  unhardiness  is  a small  objection  to  their 
use.  The  varieties  are  very  numerous.  Among  them  is  the  Gold- 
veined-leaved  sort,  L.  j.folies  aurea  reticulata , the  leaves  of  which 
are  exquisitely  veined  with  gold  lines,  each  leaf  as  pretty  as  a 
blossom,  making  it  one  of  the  most  interesting  to  plant  in  porches 
or  verandas  among  the  darker  leaved  sorts.  A moderate  grower. 

The  Evergreen  Ivy.  Hedera. 

“ Creeping  where  no  light  is  seen, 

A rare  old  plant  is  the  ivy  green.” 

“ The  common  evergreen  ivy  is  a rooting  climber ; but  when 
these  roots  are  opposed  by  a hard  substance  which  they  cannot 
penetrate,  they  dilate  and  attach  themselves  to  it,  by  close  pres- 
sure on  the  rough  particles  of  its  surface.”  Unless,  however, 
the  surface  presents  some  crevices  into  which  roots  can  penetrate 
a little,  the  plant  cannot  sustain  itself  on  a wall  by  the  mere 
adhesion  of  its  root-mouths  against  it ; in  other  words,  it  cannot 
sustain  itself  on  a hard  and  smooth  stone  surface.  In  this  respect 
it  is  neither  stronger  nor  weaker  than  our  Virginia  creeper.  The 
evergreen  ivy  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  become  domesticated 
in  this  country.  Our  summers  are  too  hot  and  dry,  and  our 
winters  too  cold  for  it;  and  it  rarely  clothes  lofty  walls  with 


598 


VINES  AND  CREEPERS. 


such  masses  of  verdure  as  in  the  British  islands.  In  cities,  on 
north  walls,  and  sheltered  corners  of  church  towers  and  buttresses, 
it  occasionally  mounts  and  covers  them,  suggesting  the  beauty  for 
which  it  is  renowned  in  the  moist  mild  climate  of  England ; but 
these  instances  are  exceptional  in  the  northern  States. 

It  is  believed  that  all  the  varieties  of  the  ivy  may  be  grown  as 
shrubs,  and  become  quite  valuable  on  account  of  the  unusual 
purity  of  color  of  their  evergreen  foliage  throughout  the  year.  By 
planting  an  elm-post,  say  four  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
and  ivies  at  the  foot  of  it,  they  will  cling  to  the  post,  and  can  be 
protected  upon  it  for  a few  years  in  winter  with  straw.  After  they 
are  well  rooted,  and  form  a mass  several  feet  in  thickness  around 
the  post,  they  will  not  need  further  protection  in  most  parts  of  the 
northern  States.  No  vine  we  have  is  so  well  adapted  to  cover  the 
trunks  of  old  dead  trees  which  have  had  their  tops  cut  off. 

The  varieties  do  not  vary  widely.  The  English  Ivy  is  known 
as  H.  vulgaris.  The  Irish  Ivy,  H.  canarienses , has  a leaf  a little 
larger.  This  is  the  variety  most  planted  in  this  country,  and  usually 
considered  the  hardiest.  Then  there  are  the  Gold-striped,  H. 
foleis  aureis , the  Silver-striped,  H.  folds  argenteis , the  Giant- 
leaved, H.  ragneriana , and  numerous  others  with  some  mark  of 
difference  from  the  normal  form. 

The  Poison  Ivy,  Rhus  toxicodendron , is  also  a beautiful  native 
creeping  shrub  with  fine  glossy  leaves,  but  the  plant  is  a fearful 
poison  to  some  persons,  and  should  not  be  allowed  to  grow  in 
settled  neighborhoods.  It  may  be  readily  distinguished  from  the 
Virginia  creeper  when  in  leaf  by  its  three  instead  of  five  leaflets, 
and  by  their  smooth  edges ; the  Virginia  creeper  having  strongly 
serrate  leaves.  Its  wood  is  somewhat  stronger  and  more  stubby 
than  that  of  the  latter,  and  when  the  vine  is  attached  to  trees  it 
sends  out  stiff  shoots  like  branches,  which  do  not  fall  gracefully 
like  those  of  the  Virginia  creeper. 

The  Grape-vine.  Vitis. — No  intelligent  person  needs  to  be 

reminded  that  grape-vines  are  among  the  most  beautiful  as  well  as 
valuable  of  climbers.  There  is  much  difference  in  the  habitual 


VINES  AND  CREEPERS. 


599 


healthiness  of  different  varieties  which  bear  good  fruit.  The 
Clinton  and  the  Concord  are  probably  the  most  healthy  and  pro- 
ductive vines  in  the  northern  States  when  left  to  grow  naturally ; 
and  their  fruit,  though  not  of  the  best  for  table  use,  makes  a fine 
wine  when  carefully  made  and  kept  long  enough.  The  Isabella, 
Catawba,  Diana,  Delaware,  and  a host  of  newer  sorts,  all  do  well 
in  the  middle  States,  but  require  more  care  than  .the  two  first 
named.  In  the  southern  States  other  varieties  are  more  esteemed. 
We  believe  that  all  our  native  vines  are  usually  trimmed  too  much, 
and  their  healthfulness  impaired  by  it ; and  that  if  their  roots  have 
a deep  dry  soil  their  tops  may  be  allowed  to  cover  a great  space. 

The  Periploca.  Pei'iploca  grceca. — A shrub  from  France,  also 
known  as  the  Virginia  silk-vine,  which  is  a vigorous  twining  vine, 
with  large  clean-cut,  glossy,  wavy  leaves.  The  flowers  are  small, 
of  a rich  velvety  brown ; in  July  and  August.  Their  odor  is  said 
to  be  unwholesome  to  those  long  exposed  to  it,  and  the  vine  should 
not  therefore  be  planted  on  porches  or  near  to  windows. 

Climbing  Roses. — See  roses  in  Chapter  V,  Part  II. 

The  Periwinkle,  or  Running  Myrtle.  Vinca. — A trailing 
evergreen  that  covers  the  ground  rapidly,  and  is  adapted  to  make  a 
deep  mat  of  verdure  in  shady  places  under  trees  where  grass  will 
not  grow.  It  bears  blue  flowers  which  appear  constantly  from 
March  to  September. 

The  Wistaria.  Glycine.  Wistaria. — Twining  vin.es  of  great 

vigor,  indigenous  in  our  country,  and  in  Asia;  with  compound 
pinnate  leaves,  and  long  racemes  of  blue  or  lilac  flowers. 

The  American,  or  Shrubby  Wistaria.  W.  ( G.)  frutescens. — 
A free-grower,  indigenous  in  the  middle  and  southern  States.  Leaves 
composed  of  nine  to  thirteen  leaflets.  Flowers  bluish-purple  in 
shouldered  racemes  about  six  inches  long,  and  borne  from  July  to 
September. 

The  Chinese  Wistaria.  W.  ( G.)  sinensis.  — This  most 
vigorous  of  twining  vines  was  introduced  from  China  to  England  in 


coo 


VINES  AND  CREEPERS. 


181 6,  but  was  little  known  in  this  country  until  within  thirty  years. 
There  is  no  twining  vine  that  will  mount  so  rapidly,  or  that  will 
cover  so  great  a space.  Planted  at  the  foot  of  a lightning-rod  it  has 
been  seen  to  mount  to  the  top  of  a five-story  house  within  four 
years  after  planting.  Mr.  Fortune,  the  great  botanist,  gives  the 
following  account  of  a famous  vine  which  he  saw  in  a Japanese 
city : — “On  our  way  (May  20th)  we  called  at  Nanka  Nobu  to  see 
a large  specimen  of  Glycme  ( Wistaria ) sinensis  which  was  one  of 
the  lions  in  this  part  of  the  country.  It  was  evidently  of  great  age. 
It  (the  trunk)  measured  at  three  feet  from  the  ground,  seven  feet  in 
circumference,  and  covered  a space  of  trellis-work  60  x 102  feet. 
The  trellis  was  about  eight  feet  in  height,  and  many  thousands  of 
the  long  racemes  of  glycine  hung  down  nearly  half  way  to  the 
ground.  One  of  them  which  I measured  was  three  feet  six  inches 
in  length ! The  thousands  of  long  drooping  lilac  racemes  had  a 
most  extraordinary  and  brilliant  appearance.”  On  page  244  some 
wistaria  vines,  in  Germantown,  Pa.,  are  mentioned,  which  have 
covered  the  head  of  a lofty  hemlock  tree,  and  almost  hid  it  from 
sight  under  their  own  more  luxuriant  growth.  If  the  vine  has  an 
opportunity  to  keep  on  growing  vertically,  it  soon  loses  its  foliage 
towards  the  bottom.  It  should  therefore  have  a place  for  hori- 
zontal expansion  in  order  to  exhibit  its  greatest  beauty,  unless 
wanted  to  cover  tree-tops.  The  foliage  is  composed  of  long  pinnate 
leaves  of  many  leaflets.  The  flowers  appear  in  May  and  June,  and 
again  in  August.  They  are  borne  in  great  abundance  in  long  loose 
pendulous  racemes  from  eight  inches  to  several  feet  in  length,  and 
are  mostly  of  a pale-blue  or  lilac  color. 

The  Chinese  White  Wistaria,  W.  ( G.)  sinensis  alba , is  a re- 
cently imported  variety  with  white  flowers ; otherwise  resembling 
the  preceding. 

The  W.  brachybotria  is  a variety  with  shorter  racemes  of  more 
fragrant  light-blue  flowers.  The  W.  brachybotria  rubra  is  a variety 
with  reddish-purple  flowers.  The  W.  magnifica  is  a new  variety 
with  lilac  blossoms,  believed  to  be  a cross  between  the  Chinese 
wistaria  and  the  American  species ; the  W.  frutescens  alba  is  t 
white-flowered  seedling  of  the  latter. 


APPENDIX 


The  following  tables  are  prepared  merely  to  facilitate  selections  of  trees  and  shrubs  on  the 
basis  of  size  and  growth  alone.  Deciduous  trees  are  arranged  by  classes  in  three  tables,  as  follows : 
First,  Deciduous  trees  of  the  largest  class.  Second,  Deciduous  of  secondary  size. 
Third,  Deciduous  trees  of  the  smallest  class.  The  usual  growth,  under  good  culture, 
at  twelve  years  from  the  seed,  is  approximated ; and  the  ordinary  height  and  breadth  the  tree 
attains  at  maturity,  in  the  latitude  of  New-York  City.  Evergreen  trees  and  shrubs  are  divided  into 
three  similar  classes,  except  that  evergreen  shrubs  are  included  with  the  smallest  evergreen  trees. 
Deciduous  shrubs  form  a separate  class,  with  their  development  indicated  at  six  years  after  plant- 
ing such  plants  as  are  usually  received  from  nurseries  ; and  also  at  maturity.  These  estimates  of 
size  are  all  based  on  a supposed  good  soil  and  culture  ; and  for  specimens  having  an  open  exposure. 

The  trees  are  classed  as  of  the  first,  second,  or  third  class,  in  size,  on  the  basis  of  their  entire 
weight.  The  Lombardy  poplar,  for  instance,  by  height  belongs  to  trees  of  the  first  class,  but  by 
breadth  ranks  with  the  smallest ; it  is  therefore  put  between  the  two  extremes  in  the  second  class. 

When  trees  are  budded  or  grafted  on  other  stocks,  as  many  weeping  trees  are,  the  age  of  tire  stock 
is  included  in  the  age  for  which  estimates  of  sizes  at  twelve  years  from  seed  are  given.  But  as  such 
“ worked  ” trees  are  grafted  at  quite  different  heights  on  stocks  of  the  same  age,  it  must  be  under- 
stood that  the  estimates  here  given  are  for  trees  grafted  in  the  manner  most  common  in  the  great 
nurseries.  Trees  marked  with  a star  * are  those  generally  grafted  on  other  stocks. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  that  these  tables  embrace  all  the  trees  described  in  the  preceding  work. 
Most  of  the  leading  species  are  represented  by  one  or  more  out  of  many  varieties.  The 
species  and  varieties  which  are  not  included  in  the  tables  will  be  found  at  once  by  referring  to  the 
Index. 


DECIDUOUS  TREES  OF  THE  LARGEST  CLASS. 


Page. 

Popular  Name. 

Botanical  Name. 

Usual  Size  12 
Years  from  Seed. 

Usual  Size  at 
Maturity. 

Height. 

Breadth. 

Height. 

Breadth 

3°4 

The  White  Oak 

Quercus  alba 

20  ft. 

12  ft. 

80  ft. 

80  ft. 

3°7 

Swamp  White  Oak 

Q.  tomentosa 

20 

12 

80 

70 

308 

<< 

Burr  Oak  

20 

12 

70 

60 

310 

Chestnut  Oak 

Q.  prinus  palustris 

25 

15 

80 

60 

310 

iC 

Rock  Chestnut  Oak 

Q.  p.  monticola 

20 

1 5 

50 

60 

312 

it 

Scarlet  Oak 

Q.  coccinea 

25 

15 

70 

60 

313 

“ 

Pin  Oak 

Q.  palustris 

20 

15 

70  1 

60 

tt 

Turkey  Oak 

Q.  cerris  

20 

15 

70 

60 

-J  * 3 

316 

a 

American  White  Elm. .. 

Ulmus  americana 

30 

25 

70 

80 

319 

it 

English  Elm 

U.  campestris 

30 

20 

80 

70 

322 

Scotch  Elm . . . 

U.  montana 

25 

20 

7° 

7° 

326 

it 

American  White  Beech.. 

Fagus  americana 

25 

15 

80 

70 

331 

11 

American  Red  Beech 

F.ferrugittea 

20 

15 

60 

70 

327 

u 

Weeping  Beech 

F.  sylvaticus  pendula 

25 

15 

70 

70 

332 

American  Chestnut 

Castanea  americana 

25 

20 

80 

1 80 

344 

White  or  Silver  Maple.. . 

A cer  eriocarpum 

30 

25 

70 

70 

347 

Sycamore  Maple. . . . 

Acer  pseudo  platafius 

25 

16 

80 

7° 

343 

“ 

Norway  Maple 

A cer  platanoides 

20 

16 

70 

60 

349 

a 

Great-leaved  Maple 

A cer  macrophyllum 

30 

25 

70 

i 7° 

351 

Black  Walnut 

Juglans  nigra 

3° 

20 

80 

I 7° 

354 

it 

Shellbark  Hickory 

Cary  a alba 

25 

16 

80 

60 

356 

<4 

White  Ash  

Fraxinus  americana 

25 

16 

80 

60 

360 

Cottonwood 

Populus  canadensis 

40 

20 

80 

1 70 

362 

Silver-leaved  Poplar 

Populus  alba  canescens 

35 

25 

70 

70 

3^4 

(4 

Whitewood  or  Tulip-tree. 

Liriodendron  tulipifera 

3° 

16 

80 

70 

369 

Cucumber  Magnolia 

Magnolia  acumitiata 

3° 

16 

80 

60 

384  ! “ 

Sycamore 

Plat  anus  occidentalis 

35 

25 

80 

80 

385 

“ 

Oriental  Plane-tree 

Platanus  orientalis 

30 

20 

80 

So 

387 

Weeping  Willow 

Salix  babylonica 

40 

40 

60 

60 

389 

Golden  Willow 

Salix  vitellina 

35 

3° 

60 

50 

4°5 

! “ 

Ginkgo,  or  Salisburia 

Salisburia  adiantifolia 

30 

16 

80 

60 

406 

! “ 

Large-leaved  Salisburia.. 

Salisburia  macrophylla 

30 

16 

§0 

60 

406 

1 44 

Variegated  Salisburia... 

Salisburia  variegata 

? 

? 

7 

> 

406 

44 

Scotch  Larch 

Larix  europoea 

35 

20 

80 

5° 

APPENDIX. 


Co2 


Page 


314 

315 

323 

324 

329 

330 
330 
337 
339 

339 

340 

340 

341 

343 

344 

345 
347 

347 


34$ 


34$ 

348 

34$ 

35° 


35i 

360 

360 

363 

370 

372 


378 


379 

380 
3$i 
3$2 
3$3 
3$3 
3$3 
3$3 
383 

390 

393 

395 

397 

39$ 

399 

401 

402 
408 
411 
4*3 

417 

418 


419 

420 

423 

424 

424 

425 

426 


429 

446 

454 


DECIDUOUS  TREES  OF  SECONDARY  SIZE. 


Popular  Name. 


The  Shingle  Oak 

“ Upright  Oak 

“ Weeping  Scotch  Elm  . . . 

“ Scamston  Elm 

“ Purple-leaved  Beech 

“ Copper-leaved  Beech  — 

“ Fern-leaved  Beech 

“ Horsechestnut 

“ Double  White-flowering. 

“ Red-flowering  H.  C.  ... 

“ Scarlet-flowering  H.  C. . . 

“ Big  Buckeye  of  Ohio. . . 

“ Long-fruited  H.  C 

“ Sugar  Maple 

“ Black  or  Rock  Maple  . . . 

“ Scarlet  Maple  

“ Purple-leaved  Maple 

“ White  variegated-  ) I 

leaved  Maple f j 

“ Yellow  variegated-  1 

leaved  Maple ) 

“ Eagle’s-claw  Maple 

“ Lobel’s  Maple 

“ Shred-leaved  Maple 

I “ Round-leaved  Maple 

I “ Butternut 

“ Weeping  English  Aspen. 

“ Weeping  Amer.  Poplar. . 

“ Lombardy  Poplar 

“ Heart-leaved  Magnolia.. 

“ Great-leaved  Magnolia . . 

“ Cut-leaved  Weeping  ) 

Birch  j 

“ Old  Weeping  Birch 

“ Paper  or  Canoe  Birch. . . 

“ Yellow  Birch 

“ American  Linden 

“ European  Linden 

“ Broad-leaved  Linden 

“ Grape-leaved  Linden 

“ Red-barked  Linden 

“ White  Weeping  Linden. 

“ Locust,  Black  or  Yellow. 

“ Japan  Sophora  

“ Virgilia 

“ Kentucky  Coffee-tree 

“ Ailantus 

“ Liquidamber 

“ Tupelo 

“ Cherry 

“ Catalpa 

“ Sassafras 

“ Paulownia  

“ Am.  Red  Mulberry 

“ Downing  Mulberry 

“ Paper  Muiberry 

“ Osage  Orange 

“ Western  Nettle-tree 

“ Nettle-tree,  Hackberrv. . 

“ Paw-paw 

“ Cut-leaved  Alder 

“ Apple-tree 

“ Pear-tree  ...  

“ Apricot 

“ Persimmon 


Botanical  Name. 


Quercus  imbricaria 

Q.fastigiata 

Ulmus  montana  petidula . . . 

U.  m.  glabra 

Fagus  purpurea 

Fagus  cuprea 

Fagus  heterophyUa 

ASsculus  hippocastanum 

AS.  h.  flore  ple?ta 

AS.  h.  rubicunda 

AS.  k.  coccinea 

AS.  (pavia)  flava 

AS.  macrocarpa  (pavia  m.). 

A cer  saccharinum 

Acer  nigram 

A cer  rubrum 

A cer  p.  p.  purpurea 

A cer  p.  p.  alba  variegata. . . 

A cer  p.  p.  flava  ( aurea ) ) 

variegata ) 

Acer p.  lacianatum 

Acerp.  lobelii 

A cer  dissectum 

A cer  circinatum 

Juglans  cinerea 

Populus  tremula  pendjila . .* 
Poft-i  grandidenta  pendula* 

Popuhis  fastigiata 

M agnolia  cordata 

Magnolia  macrophylla 

Be  tula  lacianata  pendula. . . 

Betula  pendida 

Betula  papyracea 

Betula  Ititea 

Tillia  americana 

Tillia  europce 

Tillia  macrophylla 

Tillia  viti/olia 

Tillia  rubra 

Tillia  petidula * 

Robmia  pseud-acacia 

Sophora  japotiica 

Virgilia  lutea 

Gymnocladus  canadensis  . . . 

A ilantus 

L iquidamber 

Nyssa  biflora 

Cerasus  

Catalpa  syringafolia 

Laurus  sassafras 

Paulownia  imperialis 

Morus  rubra 

Mortis 

B roussonetia 

Maclura  auriantica 

Celt  is  occidentalis 

Celt  is  crassifolia 

A Inus  lacianata 

Pyrus  malus 

Pyrus 

Armeniaca  vulgaris 

Dyospyros  virginiaca 


Usual  Size  12 
Years  from  Seed. 

Usual  Size  at 
Maturity. 

Height. 

Breadth. 

Height. 

Breadth. 

20  ft. 

IO  ft. 

40  ft. 

40  ft. 

20 

10 

70 

35 

20 

20 

60 

60 

J5 

20 

40 

60 

20 

15 

60 

60 

20 

*5 

60 

60 

20 

15 

50 

50 

20 

15 

60 

50 

20 

12 

60 

40 

l6 

12 

50 

40 

l6 

12 

50 

40 

l6 

12 

40 

40 

l6 

16 

40 

40 

20 

12 

! 60 

50 

l6 

12 

5° 

50 

20 

12 

50 

50 

20 

16 

60 

60 

l6 

12 

5° 

50 

l6 

12 

5°? 

53? 

l6 

12 

50? 

50? 

l6 

12 

I 4° 

40 

20 

12 

1 5°? 

5°? 

12 

12 

40? 

40? 

20 

l6 

40 

40 

l6 

20 

30 

40 

l6 

20 

30 

40 

40 

IO 

80 

20 

20 

.12 

40 

30 

20 

12 

30 

30 

30 

20 

60 

5® 

33 

20 

60 

50 

30 

20 

60 

40 

30 

20 

70 

40 

20 

l6 

70 

50 

20 

16 

60 

50 

20 

l6 

60 

60 

20 

l6 

? 

? 

20 

16 

? 

p 

20 

l6 

? 

> 

25 

20 

60 

40 

20 

l6 

45 

40 

25 

l6 

45 

40 

25 

20 

50 

40 

25 

25 

40 

50 

25 

l6 

60 

40 

20 

l6 

50 

40 

25 

l6 

30 

3® 

25 

3° 

50 

70 

20 

l6 

40 

40 

20 

20 

40 

60, 

20 

20 

40 

50 

20 

20 

30 

30 

20 

20 

30 

40 

25 

30 

40 

60 

20 

20 

30 

33 

30 

20 

50 

53 

25 

l6 

40 

40 

20 

l6 

45 

45 

20 

l6 

30 

40 

20 

l6 

40 

30 

l6 

l6 

30 

40 

20 

l6 

40 

40 

A P P E ND IX. 


6o3 


DECIDUOUS  TREES  OF  THE  SMALLEST  CLASS. 


Page  j 

Popular  Name. 

336  The  Dwarf  Chestnut 

34i  “ 

Small  Buckeye 

342  “ 

California  Buckeye 

346  j “ 

Striped-bark  Maple 

347  “ 

Guelder  Rose-leaf  Maple 

347  ' “ 

Spike-flowered  Maple... 

349  1 “ 

English  Field  Maple 

350  “ 

Tartarian  Maple 

337  “ 

Weeping  Ash 

358  “ 

Golden  Ash 

358  “ 

Weeping  Golden  Ash. . . 

358  1 “ 

Ash-leaved  Negundo 

359  1 

American  Aspen 

371:  “ 

Umbrella  Magnolia 

374  | “ 

Swamp  Magnolia 

375  “ 

Chinese  White  Magnolia 

376  “ 

Soulange  Magnolia 

381  “ 

American  White  Birch... 

39° ! “ 

Kilmarnock  Willow 

390 , “ 

Amer.  Fountain  Willow. 

391  “ 

Gummy  Acacia 

394 

Weeping  Japan  Sophora 

403  \\ 

European  Bird  Cherry. . 

404  1 

Everflowering  Weeping ) 

Cherry  | 

405 1 “ 

Dwarf  Weeping  Cherry. . 

407 ' “ 

Weeping  Larch 

410  “ 

Indian  Catalpa 

410  “ 

Kempfer  Catalpa 

413 1 “ 

Benzoin  Laurel 

422  “ 

Kolreuteria 

423 1 “ 

Western  Nettle-tree 

428  “ 

Crab  Apple 

429  “ 

Siberian  Crab 

Chinese  Double-flower- ) 

429 

ing  Crab J 

431 

European  Mountain  Ash 

European  Weeping  1 

431  | 

Mountain  Ash J 

431  : 

Oak-leaved  Moun.  Ash  -j 

“ 

Dwarf  profuse-flower-  ( 

432 1 

ing  Mountain  Ash.  J 

432 1 “ 

White-flowered  Dogwood 

434 ' “ 

Cornelian  Cherry 

436  “ 

Judas  or  Red-bud 

437  “ 

Halesia  or  Silver-bell. . . . 

438  “ 

Thorn-trees 

440  1 “ 

Hawthorn 

44s  ; “ 

American  Hornbeam 

449  j “ 

Scotch  Laburnum 

449  ' “ 

Amelanchier 

45o;  “ 

Tamarisk 

450  “ 

Wych  Hazel 

451  1 “ 

Tree  Andromeda 

451  1 “ 

Tree  Sumach 

452  1 “ 

Purple  Fringe-tree 

453  “ 

Chionanthus 

474  ' “ 

Hercules  Club 

477  1 “ 

Siberian  Pea-tree 

484  “ 

European  Elder 

Botanical  Name. 


Castanea  pumila 

At.  pavia  rubra 

AS.  califomica 

Acer  striatum 

Acer p.  opulifolium 

A cer  spicatum 

Acer  campestris 

A cer  tataricum 

Fraxinus  excelsior  pendula. 

Fraxinus  aurea 

Fraxinus  aurea  pendula... 
Negundo  fraxinafolium . . . 
Populus  tremula  trepida. . . 

Magnolia  tripetela 

M.  glauca * 

M.  conspicua 

M.  soulangeana 

Betula  populifolia 

S.caprea  pendula * 

Salix  americana  pendula. . 

Robinia  viscosa 

Sophora  japonica  pendula .* 
Cerasus  padus 

Cerasus  semperflorens 

Cerasus  pumila  pendula. 

Larix  pendula * 

Catalpa  himalayensis 

Catalpa  kempferi 

Laurus  benzoin 

Kolreuteria  paniculata 

Celt  is  occidentalis 

Pyrus  malus  corortaria . . . 
Pyrus  malus  prunifolia 

Pyrus  spectabilis 

Pyrus  sorbus  aucuparia 

Pyrus  sorbus  pendula * 

Pyrus  sorbus  pinatifida 
(l quercifolia ) 

Pyrus  nana  floribunda 

C omits  florida 

Cornus  mas ...... 

Cere  is  canadensis 

Halesia  tetraptera 

Crataegus 

Crataegus  oxycantha 

Carpinus  americana. ...... 

Cytissus  alpina 

Amelanchia  vulgaris 

Tamarix 

Hamamelis 

Andromeda  arborea 

Rhus  typhina *. . . . 

Rhus  cotinus 

Chionanthus  virginica 

A ralia  spinosa 

Caragana  arborescens 

Santbucus  nigra 


j Usual  Size  12 
Years  from  Seed. 

Usual  Size  at 
Maturity. 

Height. 

J Breadth. 

Height. 

Breadth. 

IO  ft. 

IO  ft. 

25  ft. 

25  ft. 

12 

1 

20 

20 

12 

! 12 

20 

20 

20 

j 16 

25 

30 

12 

; 10 

30 

30 

12 

■ \° 

25 

20 

*5 

25 

to 

15 

j 10 

25 

20 

15 

*5 

30 

30 

20 

1 12 

40 

30 

15 

15 

30 

30 

15 

12 

20 

20 

25 

l6 

40 

30 

20 

1 16 

20 

20 

IO 

1 IO 

I 15 

15 

*5 

1 10 

20 

20 

15 

15 

j 20 

30 

20 

IO 

j 35 

30 

8 

IO 

I 10 

15 

IO 

10 

1 12 

20 

16 

16 

i 30 

20 

12 

10 

1 20 

20 

15 

12 

25 

25 

IO 

IO 

15 

15 

6 

5 

8 

8 

10 

>5 

20 

30 

10 

12 

12 

16 

8 

10 

10 

14 

12 

10 

i 16 

16 

16 

12 

20 

40 

16 

16 

! 25 

25 

13 

IO 

i J5  | 

20 

12 

10 

*5 

20 

12 

IO 

! 20 

3® 

13 

10 

: 25 

25 

IO 

; 15 

20 

20 

12 

30 

30 

8 

8 

! 12 

12 

12 

12 

16 

3® 

10 

8 

1 14 

16 

12 

12  1 

; 

30 

12 

12 

20 

30* 

12 

10 

1 16 

25 

12 

10 

20 

25 

16 

10 

3° 

20 

16 

10 

16 

16 

16 

10 

: 25 

20 

16 

10 

18 

18 

16 

10 

; 25 

20 

12 

9 

30 

30 

12 

9 

16 

16 

10 

8 

20 

20 

12 

8 

20 

12 

1 5 

10 

: 16 

16 

*5 

10 

: 18 

12 

12 

8 

*5 

20 

* Trees  marked  with  a star  are  usually  grafted  on  other  stocks. 


604 


APPENDIX 


HARDY  EVERGREEN  TREES  OF  THE  LARGEST  SIZE. 


Tage 

Popular  Name. 

Botanical  Name. 

Usual  Size  12 
Years  from  Seed. 

Usual  Size  at 
Maturity. 

Height. 

Breadth. 

Height. 

Breadth. 

5*5 

The  White  Pine 

Pinus  strobus 

25  ft. 

16  ft. 

90  ft. 

60  ft. 

524 

“ Jeffrey’s  Pine 

“ jeffreyana 

25 

16 

100 

60 

526 

“ Austrian  Pine 

“ austriaca 

25 

16 

80 

60 

527 

“ Scotch  Pine 

“ sylvestris 

25 

16 

70 

60 

53i 

“ Pyrenean 

“ pyreneaca 

20 

16 

70 

60 

539 

“ Black  or  Red  Spruce  Fir. 

Abies  nigra  {rubra) 

20 

70 

5° 

540 

“ Norway  Spruce  Fir 

“ excelsa 

25 

90 

50 

544 

“ Oriental  Spruce  Fir 

“ orientalis 

20 

70 

50 

547 

“ Hemlock  Spruce  Fir 

“ canadensis 

20 

14 

70 

50 

552 

“ European  Silver  Fir 

Picea  pectinata 

20 

15 

80 

40 

553 

“ Cephalonian  Fir 

“ cephalonica 

l8 

15 

60 

60 

554 

“ Nordmann’s  Silver  Fir.. 

“ 7iordmaniana 

l8 

15 

80 

60 

554 

“ Noble  Silver  Fir 

“ nobilis 

IO 

12 

15° 

80 

57i 

“ Nootka  Sound  Cypress. . 

Cupressus  nootkaensis 

12 

7 

80 

60 

579 

“ “ Big-tree  ” of  California. 

Sequoia  gigantea 

l6 

10 

150 

7° 

EVERGREEN  TREES  OF  SECONDARY  SIZE. 

Those  marked  P may  require  protection  in  some  parts  of  the  Northern  States. 


531 

| 

] The  Swiss  Stone  Pine 

Pinus  cembra 

10  ft. 

5 ft. 

40  ft. 

20  ft. 

540 

| “ Weeping  Black  Spruce. . 

Abies  nigra  pendula 

12 

10 

? 

•> 

542 

! “ Conical  Norway  Spruce. . 

“ excelsa  conic  a 

12 

6 

30 

15 

542 

“ I nverted-branched  Spruce 

“ “ inverta 

1 5 

6 

50 

20 

549 

“ Sargent  Hemlock 

“ canadensis  sargenti. . 

10 

10 

30 

40 

552 

“ Weeping  Silver  Fir 

Picea  pectinata  pendula 

15 

6 

50 

20 

552 

“ Upright  Silver  Fir. 

“ fastigiata  . . 

20 

8 

50 

20 

556 

“ Siberian  Silver  Fir 

“ pichta 

12 

8 

40 

20 

557 

“ Red  Cedar 

Juniperus  virginiana 

16 

6 to  12 

40 

20 

573 

“ Japan  Cypress  (P) 

Retinispora  obtusa 

16 

10 

50 

40 

573 

“ Yew-leaved  Torreya  (P). 

Torreya  taxifolia 

12 

8 

30 

20 

583 

“ American  Holly  (P) 

Ilex  opaca 

10 

7 

30 

20 

EVERGREEN  SMALL  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 


5i9 

529 

The  Compact  White  Pine. . . . 
“ Mugho  Pine 

Pinus  strobus  compacta 

‘ ‘ mugho  . 

5 ft. 

6 

5 ft- 

e 

12  ft: 
12 

12  ft 

530 

“ Mountain  Pine 

“ pumilio 

6 

a 

7 

12 

ll 

54* 

“ Pigmy  Spruce  Fir 

A bics  excelsa  pygmcea . . . . 

1 

2 

2 

4 

54* 

“ Dwarf  Black  Spruce  .... 

“ “ nigra  pumila 

3 

4 

5 

6 

542 

“ Gregory’s  Dwarf  Spruce. 

“ “ gregoriana.. 

3 

4 

5 

8 

55* 

“ Hudson’s  Bay  Silver  Fir. 
“ Oblate  Dwarf  Silver  Fir. 

Picea  hudsonica 

4 

5 

? 

> 

553 

“ pectinata  compacta. . . 

3 

4 

4 

7 

559 

“ Swedish  Juniper  (P) 

Juniperus  suecica 

44  hifacrfiicci . tt.  tttt 

10 

3 

18 

8 

560 

“ Irish  Juniper  (P) 

10 

18 

5 

560 

“OblongWeeping  Juniper(P) 

“ oblonga  pendula  . 

10 

5 

20 

15 

56* 

“ Scale-leaved  J uniper .... 

“ squamata 

5 

10 

IS 

20 

5^4 

“ American  Arbor  Vitae  . . . 

Thuja  occidental is 

“ 0.  compacta 

15 

8 

20 

10 

5$5 

“ Parsons’s  Arbor  Vitae  . . . 

8 . 

8 

12 

12 

565 

“ Am.  Golden  Arbor  Vitae 

“ 0.  aurea 

12 

6 

20 

10 

565 

“ Siberian  Arbor  Vitae 

“ siberica 

13 

8 

20 

12 

567 

“ Weeping  Arbor  Vitae  (P). 

Biota  pendula 

10 

6 

15 

10 

567 

“ Golden  Arbor  Vitae  (P) . . 

“ orientalis  aurea 

6 

5 

8 

6 

575 

575 

“ Erect  Yew  (P) 

“ Golden  Yew  (P) 

Taxus  baccata  ere  eta 

4 4 hfir.ca.tflL  mire  a. r r 

10 

5 

8 

5 

*5 

20* 

8 

g 

576 

“ Fortune’sCephalotaxus(P) 

Cephalotaxus  fortunii. 

4 

9 

20 

577 

“ Japan  Podocarpus  (P)  .. 

Podocarpus  j'aponica 

12 

6 

? 

583 

“ Holly-leaved  Mahonia. . . 

Mahonia  aquifolium 

5 

7 

s 

s' 

585 

“ Tree  Box 

Buxus  semperviretis  arborea 

5 

5 

18 

18 

586 

“ Dwarf  Garden  Box  (P) . . 

“ suffruticosa 

i*f 

*X 

8 

8 

586 

“ Rhododendron 

Rhododendron 

4 to  12 

4 to  12 

4 to  16 

4 to  16 

59° 

“ Dwarf  Andromeda  (P). . . 

A ndromeda  floribunda 

2 

4 

3 

6 

59* 

“ Daphne  Cneorum 

Daphne  C7ieorum 

2 

2 I 

3 

3 

APPENDIX. 


605 


COMMON  DECIDUOUS  SHRUBS. 


In  estimating  the  usual  size  six  years  after  planting,  it  is  supposed  that  the  plants  when  set  out 
are  of  the  sizes  usually  obtained  from  nurseries. 


Popular  Name. 


340 

341 

342 
377 
39 1 
434 
447 

461 

462 

462 

463 

463 

464 
466 

466 

467 
467 

463 

469 

469 

470 

470 

470 

470 

47 1 

472 

476 

477 
480 

480 
4S1 

481 

481 

482 

484 

485 

485 

486 

487 

488 

489 

490 

492 

493 

496 

497 
5 

5*2 

5^3 


The  Dwarf  Double-fl.  Horse- 1 

Chestnut ) 

“ Two-col.  Horse-Chestnut. 
“ Dwf.  White-fl.  “ 

Purple-flowered  Magnolia 

“ Rose  Acacia 

Red-twigged  Dogwood. . . 
Chinese  Double-fl.  Plum. 

Common  White  Lilac 

Common  Purple  Lilac... 
Persian  Lilac 


Botanical  Name. 


Size  at  6 years. 


j Height.  Breadth. 


Rothmagensis  Lilac 

Bush  Honeysuckles 

Syringas 

Snow-ball  Viburnum 

Dwarf  “ 

Japan  “ 

Great-leaved  “ 

Rose  Weigela 

Lovely  Weigela.. 

White-flowered  Weigela.. 
Rough-leaved  Deutzia. . . 
Double  White  Deutzia... 

“ Pink 
Graceful 

Alth  eas 

Dwarf  Almond 

Berberries 

Calycanthus 

Clethras . . 

Bladder  Senna 

Yellow-flowering  Currant.. 
Red-flowering 
Gordon’s  flowering  “ 
Fuschia  Gooseberry... 

American  Elder 

Variegated-leaf  Elder. . . . 

American  Euonymus 

Broad-leaf  “ 

Forsythia 

Purple-leaf  Filbert 

Oak-leaved  Hydrangea... 

Japan  Hydrangea 

Tree  Pceony. 

Common  Privet 

Japan  Quince 

Roses 

Spireas 

Stuart  ia 

Waxberries 


/Esenias  nana  fl.  pi 

/E.  pavia  discolor * 

/E.  p.  macrostachia 

Magnolia  purpurea 

Robinia  hespida  rosea * 

Cornus  stolonifera 

Prunus  sinensis 

Syringa  alba 

“ vulgaris 

“ persica 

“ rothmagensis 

Lonicera  tartarica 

Philadelphia 

Viburnum  opulus 

“ o.nana 

“ plicatum 

‘ ‘ macrophyllum . . 

Weigela  rosea 

“ amabilis 

“ nivea 

Deutzia  scabra 

“ crenata  fl.-pl 

“ rubra  fl.-pl 

“ gracilis 

Hibiscus 

A mygdalus  nana 

Berberis 

Calycanthus 

Clethra 

Colutea  arborescens 

Ribes  aureum 


sanguineum 

“ gordoni. 

“ speciosum 

Sambucus  canadensis 

“ variegata 

Euonymus  americana 

“ latifolius 

Forsythia  viridissima 

Corylus  purpurea 

Hydrangea  querci/olia 

“ deutzia/olia.. . . 

Pceony  moutan 

Ligustrum  vulgaris 

Cydonia  japonica 

Rosa 

Spirea 

Stuartia  pentagynia 

Symphoricarpus 


6 ft. 

6 

6 

4 

8 


9 
7 

5 

6 
4to8 

7 

7 

4 

7 

7 

7 

8 
4 
8 
6 
6 
4 

7 

3 
6 

4 

5 
9 

6 
6 
6 

3 

8 
8 
8 

10 
7 

7 
5 

5 

4 

8 
4 

1 toy 

2 to8 

6 
3 


S 

4 

5 

6 
4to6 

7 

7 

4 

7 

7 

7 

10 

6 

8 
6 
6 
4 
4 

3 
6 

4 

5 
5 
8 
8 
8 

3 
8 
8 

5 

6 
7 
7 
5 
5 

4 

5 

4 

itos 

3to8 

5 

4 


Size  nt 
Maturity. 


Height  I 

Breadth. 

IO  ft. 

7 ft 

10 

IO 

12 

20 

6 

IO 

IO 

12 

8 

12 

> 

? 

IS 

IO 

IO 

8 

8 

IO 

8 

IO 

6toio 

8 to  1 2 

8 

12 

IO 

IS 

6 

6 

? 

? 

IO 

15 

IO 

15 

IO 

15 

7 

10 

IO 

IS 

8 

10 

8 

10 

S 

8 

IO 

8 

4 

4 

7 

10 

7 

7 

7 

10 

IO 

7 

7 

10 

7 

10 

7 

10 

4 

5 

IO 

15 

IO 

IS 

IO 

10 

IS 

15 

8 

10 

8 

10 

6 

8 

6 

8 

6 

8 

IO 

10 

5 

7 

1 to7 

1 t07 

3toio 

3 toi 2 

IO 

1 16 

IO  1 ID 

4 I 6 


INDEX 


A bies 

A . alba . 

A.  nigra 

A . rubra .... 

A . nigra  pendula 

A.  excelsa 

A.  e.  pygmcea. ... 

A.  e.  nigra  pumila 

A.  e.  clanbrassiliana 

A.  e.  gregoriana 

A . e.  conica  ( stricta  ?) 

A . e.  compacta 

A . e.  tortuosa  compacta 

A . e.  inverta 

A . e.  pendula 

A . e.  pyramidata 

A . e.  alata 

A . e.  monstrosa 

A . e.flnedonensis 

A . orientalis 

A.  menziesii 

A . smithiana  ( vtorinda ).  . . 

A . douglassi 

A . taxifolia 

A . pattonii 

A.  canadensis 

A.  c.  macrophylla 

A . c.  microphylla  {gracilis). 

A . c.  parsoni 

A.  c.  sargenti 

A . tsuga 

A . mertensiana 

A . canadensis  taxifolia  ... 

Acacia 

A cer 

A.  sacharinum 

A.  nigrum 

A . eriocarpum 

A . rubrum 

A . striatum 

A . spicatum 

A . pseudo  platamis 

A.  p.  p.  opulifolium 

A.  p.  p.  purpurea 

A.  p.  p.  alba  variegata 

A.  p.  p.  aurea  variegata  . . 

A . platanoides 

A . p.  laciniatum  ....  

A . p.  lobelii 

A.  dissectum 

A.  macrophyllum 

A.  campestris 

A.  monspessulanum 

A.  circinatum 

A.  obtusatum 

A talaricum 

AEsculus 

AE.  Jiippocastanum 


PAGE  PAGE 

. . 538  AEsculus , h.  flore  plena 339 

..538  AE.  h.  rubicunda 336 

. .539  uE.  h.  coccinea 340 

. . 539  sE.  h.  aurea 340 

..540  AE.  h.  laciniata 340 

. . 540  AE.  h.  nana  flore  plena 340 

. . 541  AE.  pavia  flava 340 

. . 541  AE.  p.  rubra 341 

. . 541  AE.  p.  discolor 341 

. . 542  AL.  p.  macrocarpa 341 

. . 542  AE.  p.  macrostachia 342 

. 542  AE.  p.  califomica 342 

. . 542  Ailantus,  A ilantus 398 

. . 542  Airing  the  soil 264 

. . 543  Akebia,  A kebia  quinata 594 

..544  Alata  Spruce  Fir 544 

. . 544  Alder,  A Inus 424 

..544  Alder-leaved  Clethra 480 

..544  A Inus 424 

. . 544  A.  glutinoso 425 

. . 544  A.  laciniata 425 

. . 545  A.  glutinoso  aurea 425 

..546  A.  cordifolia 425 

. . 547  Alternate-leaved  Dogwood 435 

..547  Althea,  Hibiscus  syriacus 471 

. . 547  Amelanchier,  A melanchier  vulgaris 449 

. . 549  A . botryapium 449 

. .549  A.  florida.. 450 

. . 549  American  Arbor  Vitae 564 

. . 549  American  Ceanothus. 479 

'. . 550  American  Cembran  Pine 523 

. . 550  American  Chestnut,  Castanea  americana. . . 332 

. . 550  American  Crab-apple 428 

. . 390  American  Euonymus  485 

. . 343  American  Golden  Arbor  Vitae 565 

..343  American  Holly 583 

. . 344  American  Hornbeam,  carpinus  americana . . 448 

. . 344  American  Lantana  Viburnum 467 

. . 345  American  Larch 408 

. . . 346  American  Linden 382 

. . . 347  American  Mountain  Ash 431 

. . .347  1 American  Plane-tree .384 

. . .347  American  Red-flowered  Horse-chestnut 341 

. . .347  I American  Red  Mulberry 417 

. . . 347  American  Rhododendron 587 

. . . 348  American  Tooth-leaved  Poplar 360 

. . . 348  American  Weerping  Elm 316 

. . . 348  American  White  Beech 326 

...348  American  White  Clematis 596 

. . . 348  American  Wild  Cherry 404 

. . . 349  American  Wistaria 599 

. . . 349  American  Yew 576 

. . . 350  Amorpha,  A morpka  472 

• • • 350  A . fruticosa 473 

• • • 35°  A.  glabra 473 

•••35°  A.  nana 473 

• • • 337  A.  fragrans 473 

• • • 337  A . croceolanata 473 


I ND  E X, 


607 


PAGE 

A morpha  canescens 473 

A tttpeiopsis  virginiarui 594 

A.  bipinnati 594 

A mygdalus  nana 472 

A.  n.  stberica 472 

A . pumila  alba 472 

Andromedas,  A ndromeda 590 

A . floribunda 590 

A . axillaris 590 

A.  catesbeii 590 

A.  spinulosa  590 

Andromeda,  Andromeda  arborea 451 

Andromeda,  Deciduous,  Lyonia 473 

Anona  triloba 454 

Appendix 60 1 

Apple-trees,  Pyrus  mains 242,  278,  426 

Apricot,  A rmeniaca  vulgaris 446 

Aralia,  Aralta 474 

A . japonica 474 

A raucaria  imbricata 525 

Arbor  Vitae  Family — Thuja , Biota , Thu- 

iopsis 564 

Arbutus,  A rbutus 584 

A . unido  (rubra) 584 

A . hybrida  milleri 584 

A . andrachne 584 

A . procera 584 

A.  menziessii 585 

Arches,  verdant 121 

Architectural  fashions 46 

A ristolachia 594 

A rmeniaca  vulgaris 446 

A.  siberica  447 

Arrangement  in  planting  92 

Arrow-wood 467 

Art  and  Nature 15 

Artificial  adaptations  o.f  trees  112 

Ash-berry,  Mahonia 583 

Ash-leaved  Negundo,  or  Maple 358 

Ash-tree,  Fraxinus 356 

Aspen,  American 359 

English 360 

Weeping  English 360 

Large 360 

Association  in  purchases 30 

Attempting  too  much 77 

Aucuba,  Aucuba  japonica 591 

Aucuba-leaved  Ash 358 

Austrian  Pine 526 

Autumn  Honeysuckle 464 

Azalea,  Azalea 474 

A . pontica 474 

A.  nudijlora 475 

A . viscosum 475 

A.  speciosa 475 

A.  arborescens 475 


Balfour’s  Pine 

Balm  of  Gilead  Poplar 

Balsam-bearing  Poplar 

Balsam  Fir 

Bank’s  Pine 

Bartram’s  Magnolia 

Basswood,  Ttilia 

Bastard  Indigo,  A morpha. . 

Beautiful  Lilac 

, Beauty  of  form  in  trees 

Beauty  of  health  in  trees. . . . 
Bedding  plants.  Chap,  xvii 

Bedford  Willow 

Beech,  Fagus 

Benjamin  Tree 

Bentham’s  Pine 


522 

361 

362 


551 

521 

373 


382 


472 
.462 
. 281 


279 


246 

389 

325 

4i3 

,522 


Benzoin  Laurel 

Berberry,  Berberis 

B.  vulgaris. 

B.  atropurpurea 

B.  darwini 

B.  neuberti 

B.  dulcis 

Betula 

B.  laciniata  pendula 

B . pendula 

B.  alba 

B.  papyracea 

B.  populifolia 

B.  lenta 

B.  lutea 

B.  rubra 

Bhotan  Pine 

Big  Laurel 

Bignonia 

B.  grandijlora 

B.  atrosatiguinea 

B.  jlava  speciosa 

Big- tree  of  California 

Biota 

B.  tartarica  (pyramidalis) . 

B.  orientalis 

B.  o.  aurea  variegata 

B.  pendula 

B.  orientalis  pygmea 

B.  o.  nana 

B.  gracilis  (nepalensis) 

Birch,  Betula 

Birthwort,  Aristolachia 

Bitter-nut  Hickory 

Bitter-sweet,  Celastrus  scandens. . 

Black  Ash 

Black-fruited  Elder  

Black  Italian  Poplar 

Black  Jack  Oak 

Black  Locust 

Black  Maple 

Black  Mulberry 

Black  Oak  group 

Black  Poplar 

Black  Spruce 

Black  Walnut — 

Bladder-nut  Tree 

Blue  Ash  

Blue-berried  Honeysuckle 

Boleau  a canot 

Bowers,  verdant 

Box  Elder 

Boxwood,  Buxus 

British  Evergreen  Cypress .... 

British  Oak 

Broad-fruited  Ash.  

Broad-leaved  Arbor  Vitae 

Broad-leaved  Buckthorn 

Broad-leaved  Euonymus 

Broad-leaved  Kalmia 

Broad-leaved  Linden 

Broicssofietia 

Buckeye 

Buckthorn,  Rhammts  catharticus 

Buddlea,  Buddlea 

B.  lindleyana 

B.  globosa 

Building  sites.  Chap,  v 

Burning  Bush 

Burr  Oak 

Business  men  ; home  grounds  for. . 

Butternut 

Buttonwood,  Cephalantkus 


PAGE 

413 

476,  589 

476 

477 

589 

589 

589 

378 

378 

379 

379 

380 

381 

381 

381 

382 

532 

368 

594 

594 

594 

595 

579 

564 

565 

566 

567 

567 

568 

568 

568 

378 

594 

355 

595 

357 

484 

36i 

3i3 

39° 

344 

419 

3°4,  3i2 

361 

539 

35i 

512 

357 

464 

380 

121 

358 

585 

569 

3H 

357 

568 

444 

486 

589 

38.3 

419 

340 

444 

47b 

47^ 

47b 

32 

443 

308 


35i 

476 


6o8 


INDEX 


Bu  

B.  sempervirens . 
B.  s • argentea  . . . 

B.  s.  aurea 

B.  s.  stiff ruticosa 


PAGE 

..58s 

..58S 

..586 

..586 

..586 


Calabrian  Pine 

California  Buckeye  

California  Hemlock. 

California  Mountain  Pine 

California  Privet 

California  Redwood 

Calophaca,  Calophaca 

Calycanthus,  Calycanthus  floridus 

C.  glaucus 

C.  prutiifolius 

Camperdown  Elm. 

Canadian  Amelanchier 

Canadian  Juniper 

Canadian  Poplar 

Canada  Rhodora,  Rhodora  canadensis , 

Canoe  Birch 

Caragana,  Caragana 

C.  arborescens 

C.  frutescens 

C.  grandiflora 

C.  chamlagu 

Carolina  Ash 

Carolina  Bird-cherry 

Carolina  Laurel 

Carpinu s 

C.  atnericana 

C.  betula 

Cary  a 

C.  alba 

C.  sulcata  ( tomentosa  maxima') . 

C.  porcina 

C.  amara 

C.  aquatica 

C.  microcarpa 

C.  olivaformis 

Castanea  atnericana 

C.  pumila 

C.  vesca 

Catalpa,  Catalpa  syringafolia 

C.  himalayensis  ( umbractilifera ). 

C.  kempferi 

C.  bangei 

Catawba  Rhododendron 

Catesby  Laurel 

Caucasian  Juniper 

Caucasian  Rhododendron 

Ceanothus,  Ceanothus 

C.  americanus 

C.  thyssiflorus 

C.  velutinus 

Cedars,  Cedrus 

Cedar  of  Lebanon 

Cedrus 

C.  libani 

C.  1.  pendula 

C.  deodora  

C.  d.  argentea 

Celastrus  scandens 

Celt  is 

C.  occidentals 

C.  crassifolia 

Cerasns  

C.  sylvestris 

C.  vulgaris 

C.  virginiana  ( serotina  ?) 

C.  padus , 

C.  p.  bracteosa 


536 

342 

55° 

523 

494 

S80 

478 

477 

477 

477 

325 

449 

561 

360 

509 

380 

477 

477 

....478 

478 

478 

357 

405 

581 

448 

448 

448 

352 

354 

••••355 

355 

• • • -355 
••• -355 
....356 
.. ..356 

332 

....336 

....336 

408 

. . . .410 

410 

....411 

587 

581 

560 

....587 

479 

. .. .479 

479 

479 

557 

562 

557 

562 

563 

563 

563 

595 

423 

423 

424 

402 

402 

402 

403,  404 

4°3 

404 


PAGE 

Cerasus  mehaleb 4°4 

C.  semperflorens 404 

C.  pumila  pendula 403 

C.  lusitanica 405,  581 

C.  laurocerasus 405 

C.  caroliniana 405 

Cercis  canadensis 436 

C.  siliquastrum 436 

Cephalanthus 476 

Cephalonian  Fir 533 

Cephalotaxus 574,  576 

C.  drupacce 576 

C.  fortunii  mascula 576 

C.  f femitia 576 

C.  pedunculata 577 

C.  umbractilifera 577 

Characteristics  of  Trees 277 

Beauty  of  Health 279 

Beauty  of  Form 281 

round-headed  trees 283 

conical  trees 284 

pendulous  forms 285 

picturesque  forms 286 

majesty  of  form 288 

Lights  and  shadows 290 

Evergreen  and  deciduous  trees  com- 
pared  294 

Warmth  of  trees,  etc 297 

Charles  X.  Lilac. 461 

Chaste  tree,  Vitex 479 

Cherry,  Cerasus 402 

Chestnut  Oak  group 304,  310 

Chestnut-tree,  Castanea 332 

Chili  Pine 525 

Chimonanthus,  Chimonanthus  fragrans 478 

Chinese  Arbor  Vitae 566 

Chinese  Caragana 478 

Chinese  Double-flowering  Crab-apple 429 

Chinese  Double-flowering  Plum 447 

Chinese  Honeysuckle 597 

Chinese  Juniper 561 

Chinese  Lace-bark  Pine 537 

Chinese  Podocarpus 578 

China  Quince 496 

Chinquapin 33^ 

Chinese  Weeping  Deciduous  Cypress 572 

Chinese  White  Magnolia 375 

Chinese  Wistaria 600 

Chionanthus,  Chionanthus 453 

C.  virginica 453 

C.  v.  latifolia 454 

C.  v.  angustifolia 454 

C.  v.  maritima 454 

Cicilian  Silver  Fir 553 

Cissus,  Cissus 595 

Clanbrasils  Dwarf  Spruce 541 

Clematis,  Clematis 595 

C.  flamula 595 

C.  vitalba 595 

C.  virginica 596 

C.  viticella 596 

C.  florida 596 

C.  azurea  grandiflora 596 

C.  sophia 596 

C.  helena .....596 

Clethra,  Clethra 480 

C.  alnifolia 480 

C.  tormentosa 480 

C.  acuminata 480 

Cluster-flowered  Yew 576 

Cockspur  Thorn 439 

Color  of  Dwellings  and  Out-buildings 50 

Colutea,  Colutea  arborescens 480 


Colutea  cruenta 

C.  media 

Common  Black  or  Sweet  Birch. . 

Common  Cotoneaster 

Common  Elder 

Common  English  Alder 

Common  Jasmine  

Common  Privet 

Common  Syringa 

Compact  Norway  Spruce  Fir  . . . 

Compact  Red  Cedar 

Compact  White  Pine 

Conducting  power  of  deep  Roots 

Conical  Norway  Spruce  Fir 

Continus-leaved  Viburnum 

Contorted-branched  Pine 

Constantinople  Hazel 

Constructive  Decorations 

Copeland’s  “ Country  Life  ” 

Copper-colored  Beech 

Corean  Podocarpus 

Corean  Seacoast  Pine 

Cornelian  Cherry 

Cornus 

C.  florida 

C.  mas 

C.  alba  ( stolonifera ) 

C.  sericea  ( lanuginosa ) . . . 

C.  paniculata 

C.  cercinala 

C.  mascula  variegata 

C.  aurea  variegata 

C.  alterni/olia ....  

Corsican  Pine 

Corylus 

C.  americana 

C.  avellana 

C.  a.  purpurea 

C.  a.  crispa 

C.  a.  tennis 

C.  a.  tubulosa 

C.  a.  barcelonensis 

C.  colurna 

Cost  of  Home  Grounds 

Cotoneaster,  Cotoneaster 

C.  vulgaris 

C.  frigida 

C.  afjfinis 

C.  acuminata 

C.  mumularia  

C.  lax i flora  

C.  microphylla 

C.  rotundifolia 

Cottonwood 

Coulter’s  Pine 

Crab-apple 

Crataegus 

C.  crus- galli 

C.  c.  splendens 

C.  c.pruni folia 

C.  c.  pyracayithafolia 

C.  c.  salicifolia  

C.  c.  nana 

C.  oxycantha 

C.  o.  Pendula 

C.  o.  rosea 

C.  o.  punicea 

C.  o.  p.  flora  plena 

C.  o.  multiplex 

C.  o.  lucida  

C.  o.  stricta 

C.  coccinea 

C.  c.  flora  plena 

39 


PAGE 
. .481 
..4S1 

. .183 
••483 
..484 
--434 
..491 
••493 

• -465 

••542 
••559 
••5i9 
. .267 
..542 
..467 
••523 
..489 
..105 
. . 12 


•330 

•578 

•537 

•434 

•432 

•433 

•434 

•434 

•434 

•435 

•435 

•435 

•435 

•435 

•536 

.488 

.488 

.488 

.488 

•489 

•489 

•489 

.489 

•489 


20, 

483,  590 

483 

483 

483 

483 

483 

483 

590 

590 

360 

523 

428 

438 

439 

439 

44° 

44° 

440 

440 

44° 

. ...442 

442 

442 

442 

442 

442 

442 

442 

443 


PAGE 


Crataegus  c.  punctata  aurea 

C.  tenacetifolia  celsiana  . . 

C.  Pyracantha 

Creepers 

Creeping  Juniper 

Crenate-leaved  Deutzia 

Cryptomenia  japonica 

C.  elegans 

Cucumber  Magnolia 

Cupressus 

C.  sempervirens 

C.  lawsotiiana 

C.  /.  erecta 

C.  1.  gracilis 

C.  nootkaensis 

C.  thyoidies 

C.  variegata 

C.  fragratis 

Chamaecy Paris 

Cut-leaved  Alder 

Cut-leaved  Beech 

Cut-leaved  Birch 

Cut-leaved  Horse  Chestnut 

Cut-leaved  (Eagle’s  Claw)  Maple 

Curled  Ash-leaved  Negundo 

Cydonia 

C.  vulgaris 

C.  sinensis 

C.  japonica 

Cypress  Family,  Cupressus , 

Glypto-strobus , Retinispora 

Cytissus,  Cytissus 

C.  laburnum 

C.  1.  pendula 

C.  albina 

C.  a.  pendula 

C.  alba 

C.  a.  incarnata 


443 

443 

443 

592 

562 


.470 

.564 

•564 

369 

.568 

569 

•57° 

•57° 

•571 

•57i 

•57i 

• 571 
•57i 
•57i 

•425 

• 33° 
.378 
•34° 
■348 


359 

495 

495 

49<> 

49^ 

Taxodium , 

568 

448,  482 

448 

448 

449 

449 


482 
482  ^ 


Dandelo  Mulberry 418 

Daphne,  Daphne 484 

D.  mezerium 484 

D.  m.  flore  alba 484 

D.  m.  autumnale 484 

D.  van  houtti 484 

D.  cneorum 484,  591 

D.  laureola 591 

Dark  Red  Trumpet  Creeper  ...  594 

Darwin’s  Evergreen  Berberry. . 589 

Deciduous  Andromedas,  Lyonia  ( Andro- 
meda) 473 

Deciduous  Cypress 573 

Deciduous  Shrubs 455 

Deciduous  Trees 302 

Decorative  Planting.  Chap,  ii 17 

Deep  Lots 30 

Deep  roots  as  conductors,  etc 267 

Deep  Tillage 266 

Deformed  Spruce  Fir 544 

Dense  Indian  Junipers 561 

Deodar  Cedar 563 

Desbois  Weigela 469 

Descriptions  and  order  of  arrangement 299 

Deutzia,  Deutzia 470 

D.  scabra 470 

D.  crenata . .470 

D.  c.  flore  plena 470 

D.  rubra  flore  plena 470 

D.  gracilis 470 

Dogwood,  Cornus 432 

Dotted-fruited  Thorn 443 

Dotted-leaved  Rhododendron 587 

Double  Crimson  Flowering  Currant ..482 


6io 


I N D EX. 


Double-flowering  Syringa 4^5 

Double-flowering  Viburnum 466 

Double-scarlet  Thorn 443 

Double  White-flowering  Crenate  Deutzia... .470 

Double  White-flowering  Horse  Chestnut 339 

Douglass’s  Spruce  Fir 546 

Dovaston’s  Weeping  Yew 575 

Downing,  A.  J 12 

Downing’s  Ever-bearing  Mulberry 418 

Downy  Ash 357 

Downy  Clethra 480 

Downy  Cotoneaster 483 

Downy  Nepal 483 

Downy  Viburnum 468 

Drainage 4L  264 

Dutch  Cork-bark  Elm 322 

Dutch  Honeysuckle 597 

Dwarf  Almond,  A mygdalus  nana 472 

Dwarf  Boxwood 586 

Dwarf  Black  Spruce 54 1 

Dwarf  Chestnut 336 

Dwarf  Chestnut  Oak 31 1 

Dwarf  Horse  Chestnuts . 340,  342 

Dwarf  Profuse -flowering  Mountain  Ash  . . . .432 

Dwarf  Swedish  Juniper 560 

Dwarf  Syringa . 465 

Dwarf  Viburnums . . .466 

Dwarf  Weeping  Cherry 405 

Dwarf  White  Pine .519 

Dwellings,  Outbuildings,  etc.  Chap,  vi 45 

Dyospyrus  virginiana 424 

D.  lotus ,. 424 

Eagle’s-claw  Maple . .348 

Earth 72 

Earth-freezing 266 

Earth-heat 266 

Elder,  Sambucus 484 

Elm  Ulmus 316 

Elaeagnus,  Elceagnus 486 

E.  hortensis 486 

E.  argentea 486 

E.  jnponica 486 

E.  paniflorus 486 

Emodi  Lilac 461 

English  A^der 425 

English  Cork  bark  Elm 322 

English  Elm 319 

English  Field  Maple 349 

English  Hornbeam 448 

English  Ivy 598 

English  Juniper 559 

English  Yew 575 

Erect  Yew 575 

Euonymus,  E uonymus 485 

E.  americana 485 

E.  atropurpureum 486 

E.  eurofeeus 486 

E.  latifolius 486 

E.  radica  ns 486 

European  Bird  Cherry 403 

European  Euonymus 486 

European  Holly 582 

European  Horse  Chestnut 337 

European  Linden 383 

European  Mountain  Ash 431 

European  Silver  F'ir 552 

European  Sweet-scented  Clematis 595 

European  Walnut 351 

European  Birches 379 

European  Weeping  Larch 407 

Evergreen  Berberries 589 

Evfergreen  and  Deciduous  tiees  compared. . .294 


Ever-flowering  Weeping  Cherry. 

Evergreen  Italian  Privet 

Evergreen  Ivy,  Hedera 

Evergreen  Magnolia 

Evergreen  Tree-box 

Evergreen  Trees  and  Shrubs. . . 

Exeter  or  Ford’s  Elm 

Expense  of  Home  Grounds 

Expressions  of  trees 


PAGE 


404 

494 

597 


368 
.585 
•5H 
■ 323 


20 


278 


Fagus 325 

F.  americana 326 

F.  sylvatica 326 

F.  ferruginea 326,  331 

F.  sylvaticus  pendula 327 

F.  purpurea 329 

F.  cuprea 330 

F.  7>ariegata 330 

F.  heterophylla 330 

F.  laciniata 330 

Faults  to  avoid.  Chap,  ix 75 

Fences 51 

Fern-leaved  Beech 330 

Fern-leaved  Linden 384 

Field  Maple 349 

Fiery  Thorn 443 

Fjibert,  Corylus 488 

Finedon  Variegated  Spruce  Fir 544 

Flattened  Yew  575 

Flesh-colored  Cytissus *. 482 

Flowering  Currant,  ribes 481 

Flower-beds.  Chap,  xvii 246 

Flowers  and  Bedding-plants.  Chap.  xvii. . ..246 

Flowery  Ameianchier 450 

Foreign  Oaks 314 

F orest -grown  trees 280 

Forms  of  lots 30 

Forms  of  trees 283 

Forsythia,  Forsythia  viridissima 487 

Fothergilla,  Fothergilla  alnifolia 487 

Fortune’s  Cephalotaxus 576 

Fountain  Willow.1 390 

Fraxinus 356 

F.  americana 356 

F.  sambucifolia 357 

F.  pubescens 357 

F.  quadrangulata 357 

F.  j ugla ndi flora 357 

F.  caroliniana 357 

F.  platycarpa 357 

F.  excelsior 357 

F.  excelsior  pendida 357 

F.  aurea 358 

F.  aurea  pendula 358 

F.  aucubafolia 358 

F.  punctata 358 

F.  salic  folia  variegata 358 

Fragrant  Clethras 480 

Fragrant  Cypress  or  Cedar 571 

Fraser’s  Silver  Fir 551 

Frigid  Cotoneaster 483 

Fremont’s  Pine 523 

Fuschia  Gooseberry 482 


Garden  Boxwood  586 

Garden  Elaeagnus  or  Oleaster 486 

Garden  Hydrangea 489 

Gate-ways 56 

Georgia  Pitch  Pine 520 

Giant-leaved  Ivy 598 

Giant  Lilac 461 

Gigantic  Arbor  Vitae 566 

Ginkgo,  Salisburies  adiantifolia 405 


INDEX 


6n 


Glaucus-leaved  Kalmia 

Glaucus  Red  Cedar 

Gleditschia 

G.  sinensis 

G.  s.  purpurea 

G.  s.  inermis 

Globe  Arbor  Vitae 

Globe-flower 

Globe-flowered  Buddlea 

Glossy-leaved  Willow 

Glypto-strobus 

G.-s  sinensis  pendula 

Goat  Willow 

Golden  Alder  

Golden  Arbor  Vitae 

Golden  Ash 

Golden-barked  Linden 

Golden  Chain 

Golden  Cypress  or  Cedar 

Golden-flowered  Rhododendron. . 

Golden  Retinispora 

Golden  Snowball  Spiraea 

Golden-striped-leaved  Hydrangea 

Golden  Willow 

Golden  Yew 

Gold- leaved  Maple 

Gold-spotted-leaved  Ash 

Gold-striped  Ivv 

Gold-striped  Privet 

Gordonia,  Gordonia 

G.  lusianthus 

G.  pubescens 

Gordon’s  Flowering  Currant 

Gordon’s  Syrinea 

Graceful  Deutzia 

Grape-leaved  Linden 

Grape  Vines,  Vitis 

Grass 

Gray  Pine 

Great-leaved  Maple 

Great-leaved  Viburnum 

Great  Silver  Fir 

Green  Ash  

Gregory’s  Dwarf  Fir 

Ground  Surfaces.  Chap,  v 

Guelder  rose  leaf  Maple 

Gum  Copal  Sumach 

Gummy  Acacia 

Gymr.ocladus  cattadensis 

Hackberry 

Hacmatac 

Halesia.  Halesia  tetraptera 

H.  diptera  

Hamamelis  

Harrington’s  Yew 

Hartweg’s  Pine 

Hawthorns 

Hazel.  Corylus 

Heart-leaved  Alder 

Heart-'eaved  Hydrangea 

Heart-leaved  Magnolia 

Heath-like  Cypress 

Heath-leaved  Yew 

Heavy-wooded  Pine 

Hedera 

//.  vulgaris 

//.  canariensis 

//.  foleis  aureis 

H /.  argenteis.. 

H.  ragjieriana 

Hedges. 

Hemlock  Fir 


PAGE 

••589 

•559 

•392 

••392 

• •392 
••393 
. .566 
..492 
..476 
..389 
..568 

• -572 
••390 

• .425 

• -567 

...358 

.•383 

• -448 
••57i 
.•587 

• -574 

..511 

•489 

..389 

••575 

..348 

••358 

• •598 

• •494 
..581 
..581 
..582 
. .4S1 
. .<165 
. .470 
..38.3 
..598 
..  72 
..521 

• -349 

• • 467 

• •555 

• -357 

• •542 

...  32 
••347 

• -453 

• •391 
••397 

..424 
. .408 
••437 
••437 

• -45° 
••577 

••523 

• •44'* 
..488 
•425 
..490 
•■37° 
••573 
••575 

• •524 

••597 
••598 
••598 
•598 
..598 
. .598 

;>  113 

• •547 


| # PAGE 

Hickory,  Carya 

High-bush  Cranberry 466 

Highland  Pine. 528 

Himalayan  Spruce  Fir 545 

Holly,  Ilex 582 

Holly-leaved  Mahonia 583 

Holly  Oaks '3^6 

Honey  Locust 392 

Honeysuckle,  Lonicera 463,  596 

Hop  Hornbeam 448 

Horse  Chestnut,  jEsculus 337 

Hovey’s  Arbor  Vitae 565 

Hudson’s  Bay  Silver  Fir 557 

Hydrangea,  Hydrangea 489 

H.  hortensis 489 

//.  quercifolia 489 

//.  cor  data . , 490 

H.  arborescens 490 

H.  canescens 490 

//.  involucrata 490 

H.  deutziafolia. 490 

H.  paniculata  grandiflora 490 

Hypericum,  Hy/>ericum 490 

H prolificum 490 

H.  kalmianum 490 

H.  calycinum 490 

Ilex 582 

/.  aqui folium 583 

/.  a.  marginatum 582 

/.  a.  ferox 583 

/.  a.  alba  marginatum 583 

I.  a.  aurea  marginatum  ...  583 

/.  opaca 583 

Imperial  Cut-leaved  Alder 425 

Incense  Juniper 562 

Indian  Catalpa 410 

I introduction u 

1 nver ted-branched  Spruce  Fir 543 

Irish  Ivy 598 

Irish  Juniper 560 

Irish  Yew 573 

Iron- wood,  Ostrya  virginica 448 

Italian  Cluster  Pine 537 

Italian  Stone  Pine 537 

I vy,  Hedera 597 

Japan  Cedar 564 

Japan  Cypresses 573 

Japan  Euonymus,  Euonymns  japonicus. . . .591 

Japan  Hemlock  Spruce 550 

Japan  Honeysuckle .597 

Japan  Hydrangea 400 

Japan  Mahonia 584 

Japan  Kerria,  Kerria  japonica 492 

Japan  Oleaster 487 

Japan  Osage  Orange 422 

Japan  Podocarpus 577 

Japan  Purple  Oak 315 

Japan  Quince 49r> 

Japan  Silver  Fir 556 

Japan  Sophora 393 

Japan  Viburnum 467 

Jasmine  of  Goa 492 

Jasmine,  Jasminum 491 

Jasminum 491 

J.  officinale 49 1 

y.  nudiflorum 491 

y.  odoratissimum 492 

Jeffrey’s  Pine. • ■ S24 

j Jersey  Scrub  Pine 521 

* Josika  Lilac 4^2 


6l2 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Judas  Tree,  Cercis  canadensis 436 

fuglans  regia 35 1 

y.  nigra 35 1 

y.  cineria 35 1 

Junipers,  Cedrus  and  yuniperus 557 

yuniperus 557 

y.  virginiana 557 

y.  v.  pendula 559 

y,  viridissima  pendula 559 

y.  virginiana  glauca  ( cinerescens ) ...  559 

y.  v.  pyramidalis . . 559 

y.  v.  variegata 559 

y.  communis  vulgaris 559 

y.  suecica  559 

y.  s.  5^° 

y.  hibernica 56° 

y.  oblonga - 56° 

y.  o.  pendula 56° 

y.  sinensis 561 

y.  canadensis 56 1 

y.  sabina 56 1 

y.  alpina 561 

y.  densa 56 1 

y.  repanda  densa 561 

y.  recurva  densa 56 1 

y.  squamata 561 

y.  repens  562 

y.  prostrata 562 

y.  recumbens 562 

y.  religtosa  . 562 


Kalmia,  Kalmia  

K.  lati/olia  

K.  angusti/olia 

K.  glauca 

Kemp  on  Gardens 

Kentucky  Coffee-tree,  Gyntnocladus  cana- 
densis  

Kerria  japonic  a 

K.  j.  flore  plena 

Kilmarnock  Willow 

Knee  Pine 

Kolreuteria,  Kolreuteria  paniculata 


589 

589 

589 

589 

i3 


397 

492 

492 

39° 

529 

422 


I 

I 


Laburnum,  Cytissus 

Lambert’s  Pine 

Lantana  Viburnum 

Larch,  Larix  

Large  Azure-flowered  Clematis  . . 

Large  Clethra 

Large-flowered  Trumpet  Creeper. 

Large-leaved  Hemlock 

Large-leaved  Magnolia 

Large-leaved  Salisburia 

Larix  Europaea 

L.  e.  pendula 

L . grifjfithiana 

L.  americana 

Larustinus 

Late  Red  Honeysuckle 

Laurel  Cherry 

Laurel-leaved  Oak 

Laurels,  Laurus 

Laurier  Tulipier. 

Laurus 

L.  nobilis 

L.  carolinensis 

L.  catesbiana 

Laurus  sassafras 

L . benzoin 

Lawns.  Chap,  xiii 

Lawson  Cypress 

Leucothoe 


448 

524  ! 
467’ 

406 

596 

.480 

594 

■549 

372 

.406 

406 


407 

4°7 

.408 

•465 

■597 
4°5 
3M 
, 580 
368 
.580 
.58° 
.581 
.581 
•4” 
■413 


io7 

57° 

59° 


Lights  and  shadows  of  trees 

Ligustrum 

L.  vulgaris 

L.  sempervirens 

L.  foliis  aureis 

L.  f.  argenteis  . 

L.  lucidum 

L.  spicatum 

L.  californica 

L.  ovalifolium  

Lilac,  Syringa 

Linden,  Tillia. .. 

Liquidamber,  Liquidamber 

Liriodendron  tulipifera 

Live  Oak 

Lobel’s  Maple 

Loblolly  Bay 

Loblolly  Pine 

Locust 

Lombardy  Poplar 

Loneliness  of  Isolated  Country  Homes 

Long-fruited  Horse  Chestnut 

Long-leaved  Yellow  Pine 

Lonicera 

L . tartar ica .' 

L.  t.  alba 

L.  t.  grandifolia 

L.  t.  fragrantissima 

L.  ccerulea 

L.  periclymenum 

L.  p.  serotinum 

L.  p.  belgicum '. 

L.  fiava 

L.  sempervirens 

L.  japonica 

I.,  j.  foliis  aurea  reticulata. . . . 

Loose-flowered  Cotoneaster 

Loudonls  works 

Lovely  Silver  Fir 

Lovely  Weigela 

Low’s  Silver  Fir 

Lyonia 

L.  arborea 

L.  racemosa 

L.  mariana 

L . paniculata 

L.  sa/icifolia 

L. frondosa 

L.  multi  flora 

L.  capreafolia 


PAGE 


290 

493 

493 

494 
494 
494 
494 
494 
494 
494 
460 
382 


•399 

•364 

3i4 
■348 
• 58x 


521 


39° 

363 


28 


34i 


520 

463,  596 

463 

464 

464 

464 

464 

596 

597 

597 

597 

597 

597 

597 

....  483 


13 

556 

469 

555 

473 

45i 

473 

473 

473 

473 

473 

473 

473 


Maclura 

M.  tricuspidata . . 

Madeira  Nut 

Madrona 

Magnolia,  Magnolia 

M.  grandiflora . . 

M.  acuminata 

M.  tripetela 

M.  macrophylla  . . 

M.  glauca 

M.  cordata 

M.  auriculata 
M.  pyramidata . . 
M.  conspicua.  . . . 
M.  soulangeana . . 

M.  purpurea 

M.  thompsoniana 

M.  gracilis 

M.  speciosa 

Mahonia,  Mahonia  ... . 

AT.  aquifolium 

AT.  fascularis 


420 

422 


35i 

585 

366 

366,  368 
366,  369 

366,  371 
• 366-372 
366-374 

37° 

373 

374 

375 

376 

377 

377 

377 

377 

583 

....  583 

584 


INDEX 


613 


Mahonia , nervosa 

M.  repens 

M.  j aponica  ? 

Majesty,  source  of,  in  trees 

Male  Dogwood 

Many-leaved  Cotoneaster 

Map  of  ground 

Maples,  Acer.. 

Maple-leaved  Viburnum 

Marsh,  or  Pin  Oak . 

Materials  used  in  decorative  planting. 

Medlar,  Mespilus 

Mehaleb  cherry 

Menzies’s  Spruce  Fir 

Mespilus  . 

M.  grandiflora 

Mexican  Fountain  Pine 

Mezereon  Pink 

Michaux’s  Magnolia 

Missouri  Currant 

Missouri  Silver-tree 

Mitchell,  Donald  G 

Moccas  Oak 

Montpelier  Maple 

Moosewood  Maple 

Morinda  Spruce  Fir 

Morus 

M.  multicaulis 

M.  ndra 

M.  alba 

M.  morettiana 

M.  nigra 

Mossy-cup  Oak 

M ossy-cupped  T urkey  Oak 

Mountain  Ash,  Pyrus  sorbus 

Mountain  Elder 

Mountain  Maple 

Mountain  Pine 

Mountain  scenery 

Mugho  Pine 

Mulberry,  Morus 

Mulching 

Myrtle 


PAGE 

584 

584 

584 

288 

434 

483 

81 

281,  343 

467 

3i3 

70 

444 

404 

544 

444 

444 

524 

484 

372 

481 

487 

12 

3i4 

35° 

346 

545 

4i5 

415,  418 

4i7 

418 

418 

4*9 

3*o 

3*5 

43* 

. . ..485 

347 

530 

7* 

529 

4*5 

272 

599 


Narrow-leaved  Kalmia 

Neapolitan  Maple 

Negundo 

Negundo  fraxinifolium 

N . crispum 

Neighboring  improvements 

Nepal  Arbor  Vitae 

Nettle,  Celtis 

New  American  Willow 

New- Jersey  Tea- plant,  Ceanothus 

Noble  Laurel 

Noble  Silver  Fir 

Nootka  Sound  Arbor  Vitae  

Nootka  Sound  Cypress 

Nordmann’s  Silver  Fir 

Norway  Maple 

Norway  Spruce  Fir 

Nubigean  Podocarpus 

Nut  Pine 

Nyssa 


•589 

•35° 
.358 
•358 
•359 
. 60 
.568 

423 

•39° 

•479 

.580 

•554 

.566 

•57* 

• 554 
•348 

• 540 
.278 
•524 
.401 


Oak-leaved  Hydrangea 489 

Oak-leaved  Mountain  Ash 431 

Oaks,  Quercus 302 

Oblate  Dwarf  Silver  Fir 553 

Oblong  Weeping  Juniper 560 

Ohio  Buckeye 340 

Old  fruit-trees 239 

Old  houses 245 


Old  places,  renovation  of. 

Oleaster 

Olive-acorn  Oak 

Oval-leaved  Privet 

Orange  Quince 

Oriental  Plane-tree 

Oriental  Spruce  Fir 

Osage  Orange,  Maclura  . 

Ostrya  virginica 

Out-buildings 

Over-cup  White  Oak 


PAGE 

..238 

..486 


■•  -3*o 
... .494 
••• -495 

■ ...  385 

•••  544 
. ...  420 
....448 

46,  49 
. . . . 308 


| Panicled-flowered  Dogwood 

j Paper  Birch 

Paper  Mulberry 

! Parks...  

I Parry’s  Pine 

Parsons’s  Arbor  Vitae 

Parsons’s  Dwarf  Hemlock 

Parsons’s  Silver  Fir 

Patton’s  Giant  California  Fir 

Paulownia,  Paulownia  imperialis . . 

Pavia  (see  AEsculus) 

Paw-paw,  Anona  triloba 

Peach,  Persica 

Pear,  Pyrus 

Pear-tree-leaved  Viburnum 

Pecan-nut 

Pendulous  forms 

Pepperidge,  Nyssa 

Pepper-vine 

Periploca,  Periploca  graca 

Periwinkle,  Vinca 

Persian  Lilac 

Persian  Scotch  Pine 

Persian  White  Lilac 

Persica 

Persimmon,  Dyospyrus  virginiana 

Ph.iladelph.Jis 

P.  vulgaris 

P.  flore  plena 

P.  zeyheri 

P.  gordonii 

P.  speciosa  {grandiflora) 

P.  nana  

Picea 

P.  balsamea 

P.fraseri 

P.  hudsonica 

P.  pectinata 

P.  p.  pendula 

P.  p./astigiata  ( mete  ns  is ). . . 

P.  p.  pyramidata 

P.  p.  tortuosa 

P.  p.  compacta  ( nana  ?) 

P.  p.  cilicica  ( leioclada ) 

P.  p.  cephalonica 

P.  nordmanniana 

P.  nob  ills 

P.  grandis 

P.  g.  parsonii 

P.  lowiana  ( lasciocarpa ) ... . 

P.  amabilis 

P.  pichta 

P.  flrma 

P.  pinsapo . 

P.  pindrow 

P.  voebbiana 

Pictures,  how  made 

1 Picturesque  forms 

I Pigmy  Arbor  Vitae 

| Pigmy  Fir 

Pigmy  Scotch  Pine 


435 


380 


4*9 

27 

.522 

•565 

549 

555 

547 

■4*3 

337 

454 

444 

.429 

467 

356 

.285 

.401 

594 


599 

.462 

•539 

462 


••444 
...424 
. . . 464 
. . . 465 
. ..465 
...465 
. . . 465 
.. .465 
. ..465 
• • • 550 
••  55* 
•••55i 
•••55* 
•••552 
• • • 552 
•• -552 
••  553 
• • • 553 
•••553 
•••553 
•••553 
•••554 
••  554 
•••555 
• • • 555 
•••555 
• • • 556 
•••556 
• • • 556 
••  557 
•••557 
• • 557 
19,  78 
. . . 286 
...568 


54* 

529 


6 14 


INDEX. 


V 


PACE 

Pigmy  White  Pine . .5*9 

Pig-nut  H ickory 355 

Pince’s  Mexican  Willow  Pine 525 

Pines,  Finns  . 515 

American,  on  Atlantic  slope 515 

American,  on  Pacific  slope  522 

European  and  Asiatic 526 

Pink-flowering  Double  Deutzia 470 

Pink-flowering  Honeysuckle 464 

Pin  Oak 313 

Pinon  Pine - 524 

Pinnate-leaved  Staphylia 513 

Pinsapo  Fir 557 

Pinus 515 

P.  strobus 515 

P.  s.  nana 519 

P.  s.  puntila 519 

P.  s.  compacta 519 

P.  nivea 5l9 

P.  rigidz  ( serotina ) 519 

P.  rubra  ( resinosa ) 520 

P.  pungens 520 

P.  mil  is 520 

P.  australis 520 

P.  a.  excelsa 521 

P.  taeda 521 

P.  inops 521 

P.  banksiana 521 

P.  bent  ha  m iana 522 

P.  parryana 522 

P.  balfojtriana 522 

P.  coulterii  'j 

P.  sab  iana  > 523 

P.  macrocarpa ) 

P.  monticola 523 

P.  flexilis 523 

P.  fremontiana 523 

P.  kartwegii 523 

P.  edulis 524 

P.  ponderosa 524 

P.  jeffreyana 524 

P.  lambertiana 524 

P.  patula 524 

P.  pinceana 525 

P.  austriaca 526 

P.  sylvestris 527 

P.  s.  horizontalis 528 

P.  s.  nana  529 

P.  s.  variegata 529 

P.  s.  latifolia 529 

P.  s.  argetttea 529 

P.  mugho 529 

P.  pumilio 530 

P.  centbra 531 

P.  pyreneaca  ) 

P.  monspelliensis  V 531 

P.  hispanica  ) 

P.  excelsa 332 

P.  laricio 336 

P.  1.  caramanica 336 

P.  1.  pygntoea ! ] .! ! 336 

P.  bruttia 336 

P.  pinaster . . -27 



x.  bungeana 337 

P.  koraiensis  

Pitch  or  Pond  Pine '5lg 

Plan  before  planting.  Chap,  ix 7S 

Plane-tree,  Platanus 3X4 

Plans  of  residences  and  grounds.  Chap.  xv  . 121 

Platanus 3X4 

P.  occidentalis 384 

P.  orientalis 383 


PAGE 

Platting  grounds 81 

Pliant-branch  Viburnum 467 

Plum-fruited  Yew 576 

Plum,  Prunus 447 

Plum-tree-leaved  Viburnum 467 

Podocarpus  Yews,  Podocarpus  574,  577 

P.  drupacce 376 

P.  japonica 577 

P.  j.  elegantissima 578 

P.  chineusis 378 

P.  koraiana 578 

P.  nubigoena 578 

y,  Poeonia  492 

Pceonia 492 

P.  moutan 492 

P.  batiksii 493 

P.  papaveracea 493 

Pointed-ieaved  Cotoneaster 483 

Poison  Ivy,  Rhus  toxicodendron 452,  598 

Ponds 74 

Pontic  Rhododendron 587 

Poplar,  Populus 359 

P.  tremula  trepida 359 

P tremula 360 

P.  t.  pendula 360 

P.  grandidenta 360 

P.  S-  Pendula 360 

P.  canadensis 360 

P.  nigra 361 

P.  monilifera . . 361 

P.  candicans. 361 

P.  balsami/era 362 

P.  alba 362 

P.  a.  canescens 362 

P.  fastigiata 363 

Portugal  Broom  482 

Portugal  Laurel 405,  581 

Post  Oak 309 

Privet,  Ligustrum 493 

Protection  from  winds 270 

Protection  of  trees  by  mulching  and  binding. 272 

Prostrate  Juniper 562 

Prunus  447 

P.  sinensis 447 

Ptelea,  Ptelea  trifoliata 495 

Pubescent  Gordonia 382 

Purple  Berberry 477 

Purple-flowered  Euonymus 486 

Purple-flowered  Magnolia 377 

Purple  Fringe-tree 452 

Purple-leaved  Beech 329 

Purple-leaved  Elm 322 

Purple-leaved  Filbert 488 

Purple-leaved  Maple 347 

Purple  Lilac 462 

Pyramidal  Magnolia 374 

Pyramidal  Silver  Fir 553 

Pyramidal  Spruce  Fir 544 

Pyrennean  Pine 531 

Pyrus 429 

Pyrus  malus 426 

P.  nt.  acerba 428 

P.  m.  coronaria 428 

P.  m.  prunifolia 429 

P.  m.  spectabilis 429 

Pyrus  sorbus 431 

P.  aucuparia 431 

P.  americana 431 

D.  pendula  431 

P.  pinnatifida 431 

P.  nana  floribunda 432 

Quercus  302 


& 


INDEX , 


615 


FACE 

Quercus  alba 304 

Q.  tomentosa 307 

Q.  macrocarpa 308 

Q.  obtusiloba * 309 

Q.  aquatica 309 

Q.  illicifolia 309 

Q.  lyrata 309 

Q.  oliveiformis 310 

Q.  prinus  palustris ! 310 

Q.  p.  monticola 310 

Q.  p.  acuminata 31 1 

Q.  p.  pumila 311 

Q.  rubra 311 

Q.  coccinea 312 

Q.  tinctoria 312 

Q.  falcata, .313 

Q.  nigra.. 313 

Q.  palustris 313 

Q.  p hellos 313 

Q.  p.  laurifolia 314 

Q.  imbricara 314 

Q.  virens 314 

Q.  sessiflora 3:4 

Q.  peduncxtlata 314 

O.  p.  pendula 314 

Q.  p.  fastigiata 315 

Q.  cerris 315 

Q.  c.  pendula 3x5 

Q.  alba  atropurpurea  japonic  a 315 

Q. ilex.. 316 

Quince,  Cydonia 495 

Red-barked  Linden 383 

Red  Bay 581 

Red  Beech 331 

Red-berried  Waxberry 513 

Red  Birch 382 

Red-bud,  Cere  is  canadensis 436 

Red-bud  Maple 343 

Red  Cedar 557 

Red  or  Slippery  Elm 319 

Red-flowering  Currant 481 

Red-flowering  Horse  Chestnut 339,  341 

Red  Oak  group 304,  31 1 

Red  Pine 520 

Red  Spruce 539 

Red  Tartarian  Honeysuckle 463 

Red-twigeed  Dogwood 434 

Relative  Importance  of  Lawn  Trees,  Shrubs, 

and  Flowers.  Chap,  xii 102 

Renovation  of  old  places.  Chap,  xvi 238 

Retinispora  568,  573 

R.  ericoides . 573 

R.  obtusa 573 

R.  pesifera  aurea 574 

Rhamnus  catharticu's 444 

R.  latifolius 444 

Rhododendrons,  Rhododctidron 586 

‘R.  ponticum 587 

R.  maximum 587 

R.  m.  purpureum 587 

R.  catawbaensis 587 

R.  punctatnm 587 

R.  crysanthemum 587 

R.  caucasicum 587 

Rkodora  canadensis  S°9 

Rhus 45 1 

R.  cotinus 452 

R.  typhmn 452 

R.  copalltna 453 

R.  toxicodendro?i 454,  598 

Ribes 481 

R.  aureum  48* 


PAGE 

Ribes  sanguineum 481 

R.  gordoni 481 

R sanguinea  flore  plena 482 

R.  s.  glutinosum  482 

R.  spec io sum 482 

Ring  Willow 389 

Roads.  Chap,  x 85 

Robinia 390 

R.  pseud-acacia 390 

R.p.-a.  bessotiiana 391 

R.  viscosa,  ( glutincsa ) 391 

R.  hispida  rosea 391 

R.  h.  macrophylla 391 

Rock  Chestnut  Oak 310 

Rock  Maple 344 

Roses,  Rosa 261,  497 

Roses,  Hardy  June 498 

Hybrid-  China 498 

Hybrid  Provence 498 

Hybrid  Damask 498 

Hybrid  French 498 

Moss 499 

Climbing 499 

Prairie 499 

* Boursault 50c 

Ayrshire 500 

Multiflora '. . 500 

Evergreen 500 

Yellow  Austrian 500 

Wild  Bush 500 

Hybrid  Perpetual 501 

Perpetual  Moss 501 

Bourbon 502 

Noisette 503 

Tea 503 

China * 503 

Rose  Beds.  v 505 

Rose  Acacia 391 

Rosemary-leaved  Willow 390 

Rose  Weigela. 468 

Rothmagensis  Lilac 463 

Rough-leaved  Deutzia 470 

Round-leaved  Dogwood 435 

Round-leaved  Maple 350 

Round-headed  trees 283 

Rules  of  arrangement.  Chap,  xi  92 

Running  Myrtle 599 

Russell  Willow 389 

Rustic  wood-work 74 

Sabine’s  Pine 523 

Sacred  Juniper 562 

Salisburia,  Salisburia  adiantifolia 405 

S.  a.  macrophylla 406 

S.  a.  variegata 406 

Salix  386 

S.  babylonica . . 387 

Y.  annularis 389 

S.  vitellina 389 

S.  alba 389 

Y.  ruselliatta 389 

51.  lucida 389 

S.  rosemarifolia 390 

S.  caprea . . 39° 

S.  americana  pendula 390 

Sambucus - 484 

S.  canadensis 484 

S.  nigra 484 

Y.  racemosa 485 

S.  variegata 485 

Saplings,  use  of  for  grafting 241 

Sargent’s  Hemlock 549 

Sassafras,  Laurus  sassafras 280,  411 


/ 


6 16 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Scale-leaved  Juniper S6x 

Scamston  Elm 324 

Scarlet-fruited  Thorn 442 

Scarlet-flowering  Horse  Chestnut 34° 

Scarlet  Maple 345 

Scarlet  Oak 3i2 

Scotch  Laburnum 449 

Scotch  Larch,  Larix  europoca 406 

Scotch  Pine 527 

Red-wood 52^ 

Pigmy  529 

Variegated 529 

Persian 529 

Silvery 529 

Scotch  or  Wych  Elm 282,  322 

Screens  and  hedges 113 

Sequoia,  Sequoia 579 

S.  gigantea , ( wash ington ia , welling- 

tonia). . . . 579 

S.  sempervirens 580 

Shell-bark  Hickory 354 

Shepherdia,  Shepherdia 454 

S.  argentea 454 

Shingle  Oak 314 

Short-leaved  Yel'ow  Pine *. 520 

Showy-flowered  Clematis 596 

Showy-flowered  Syringa 465 

Shred-leaved  Maple 348 

Shrubby  Trefoil 495 

Shrubby  Wistaria 599 

Shrubs . 455 

Shrubs,  considerations  affecting  a choice  of.  .455 

Siberian  Apricot 447 

Siberian  Arbor  Vitae 565 

Siberian  Crab-apple 429 

Siberian  Golden  variegated-leaved  Dogwood . 435 

Siberian  Pea-tree 477 

Siberian  Silver  Fir 556 

Siebold’s  Arbor  Vitae 568 

Siebold’s  Spreading  Yew 577 

Sikkim  Larch 407 

Silky  Dogwood 434 

Silver  Abele  Tree 362 

Silver  Bell,  Halesia  tetraptera 437 

Silver  Firs,  Picea ...  550 

Silver-leaved  Maple 344 

Sjlver  Poplar 362 

Silver-striped  Ivy 598 

Silver-striped  Leaved  Hydrangea 489 

Silver-striped  Privet 494 

Silvery  Deodar  Cedar  . . . 563 

Slender  Dwarf  Hemlock 549 

Slippery  Elm 319 

Snow-ball  Viburnum 466 

Snowdrop,  Halesia  tetraptera 437 

Snow- Flower,  Chionanthus 453 

Snow  or  Silver  Pine 519 

Snowy  Mespilus 449 

Sod  fences 53 

Sophora,  Sophora 393 

S.  jcCpottica 393 

S.  j.  pendula 394 

Y.  heptaphylla 395 

Sorrel  Tree,  Andromeda  Arborea 451 

Soulange’s  Magnolia 376 

Spanish  Chestnut 336 

Spanish  Oak 313 

Spike-flowered  Maple 347 

Spike-flowered  Privet 494 

Spiraea,  Spireea  510 

•S’,  callosa  alba 510 

.S',  c.  fortunii 510 

« S.floribunda 510 


PAGE 

1 Spireea , oximea  510 

.S',  trilobata 510 

S.  thunbergia 5:0 

.S',  reeve  si  fiore  plena 511 

S.  van  houtti 511 

S.  prunifolia 511 

S.  billardi 511 

.S'.  opulifolia  aurea 511 

S.  aria/olia 311 

S.  japonic  a (?) 511 

Spruce  Firs,  Abies 538 

Spruce  Pine 520 

Staphylia,  Staphylia 512 

.S',  tri/olia 512 

.S',  pinnata.  513 

St.  Tohnswort,  Hypericum 490 

St.  Peterswort,  Symphoricarjms 513 

Street  trees 68 

Striped-bark  Maple 346 

Stuartia,  Stuartia 512 

S.  pentagynia 512 

.S',  virginica 512 

I Styles  of  Architecture 46,  47 

j Suburban,  compared  with  city  life 25 

Suburban,  compared  with  country  places, 

Sumach,  Rhus 451 

Surface  roots 267 

Swamp  Cypress 573 

Swamp  Magnolia 374 

Swamp  White  Oak 307 

Swedish  Juniper 559 

Sweet  Bay 580 

Sweet  Gum,  Liquidamber 399 

Sweet-scented  Crab-apple 428 

Swiss  Stone  Pine 531 

Sycamore  Maple 347 

Sycamore,  Platanus 384 

Symphoricarpus 513 

S.  racemosas 513 

S.  vulgaris 513 

Syringa 460 

S.  alba 461 

S.  gigantea 461 

6".  carola 461 

S.  emodi 461 

S . coerulea  superba 461 

S.  vulgaris 462 

.S',  speciosa 462 

S.josikea 462 

S.  persica 462 

S.  p.  alba 462 

S.  rothmagensis 463 

Syringa,  Philadelphia 464 

Table  Mountain  Pine 320 

Tacamahac 362 

Tansy-leaved  Thorn .443 

Tamarisk,  Tamar ix 450 

T.  gallica 450 

T.  germanica 450 

T.  africatia 450 

Tartarian  Arbor  Vitae 565 

Tartarian  Maple 350 

Taxodium 568 

T.  distichum 373 

Taxus 374 

T.  baccata 573 

T.  b.  erecta  ( stricta ) 573 

T.  b.  aurea  (variegata) 375 

T.  elegantissima 575 

T.  hibernica 575 


INDEX. 


617 


PAGE 


Taxus  adpressa 

T.  dovasioni 

T.  ericoides 

T.  canadensis 

T.  japonica 

T.  harringtonia 

Tecoma 

Thick-leaved  Nettle 

Thick-shelled-nut  Hickory 

Thompson’s  Magnolia 

Thorns,  Crataegus 

Three-thorned  Acacia 

Thuiopsis  dolobrata 

T.  borealis 

Thuja 

T.  occidentalis 

T.  o.  compacta 

T.  o.  hoveyii 

T.  siberica 

T.  occidentalis  aurea . . 

T.  globosa 

T.  minima  (?) 

T.  plicata 

T.  gigantea 

T.  pendula 

Tiles  

Tillia 

T.  americatia 

T.  macrophylla 

T,  europa 

T.  vitifolia 

T.  rubra  

T.  aurea 

T.  alba 

T.  pendula 

T.  laciniata . 

Tom  Thumb  Arbor  Vitae 

Tooth-leaved  Viburnum 

Torreyan  Yews,  Torreya 

T.  taxi/olia 

Tortuous  Compact  Spruce  Fir, 

Tortuous  Silver  Fir 

Treatment  of  half-hardy  trees. 


575 

575 

575 

576 

576 

577 

594 

424 

355 

377 

438 

392 

568 

57i 

564 

564 

565 

565 

565 

565 

566 

566 

566 

566 

567 

44 

382 

382 

383 

383 

383 

383 

383 

383 

383 

384 

566 

467 

574.  578 

578 

....  542 

553 

264 


Trees 277 

Trees,  considerations  affecting  a choice  of. . . .299 

Tree  Pceony 492 

Tree  Sumach ' 452 

Trimming  up  trees 239 

Trumpet  Creeper,  Bignonia  Tecoma 594 

Trumpet  Honeysuckle 597 

Tulip,  Liriodendron  tulipifera 364 

Turkey  Oak 315 

Tupelo,  Nyssa \ 401 

Two-colored  Pavia 341 

Two-winged-fruited  Halesia 437 


Ulmus 316 

U.  americatia 316 

U.  rubra  ( fulva ) 319 

U.  alata 319 

U.  campestris 319 

U.  suberosa 322 

U.  major 322 

U.  purpurea 322 

U.  montana 322 

U.  m.  pendula 323 

U.  m./astigiata 323 

U.  m.  glabra 324 

U.  m.  g.  pendula 324 

Umbrella  Magnolia 371 

Upright  Indian  Fir 557 

Upright  Oak 315 

Upright  Silver  Fir 552 


PAGE 

Variegated  Golden  Arbor  Vitae 567 

Variegated-leaved  Beech 330 

Variegated-leaved  Box-tree 586 

Variegated-leaved  Dogwood 435 

Variegated-leaved  Elder 485 

Variegated-leaved  Horse  Chestnut 340 

Variegated-  (white)  leaved  Maple 347 

Variegated-leaved  Viburnum 466 

Variegated-leaved  Weigela 469 

Variegated-leaved  Yew 575 

Variegated  Red  Cedar 559 

Variegated  Salisburia 406 

Variegated  Willow-leaved  Ash 358 

Vaux,  Calvert 12 

Vegetable  gardening 23 

Venetian  Sumach 452 

Verdant  gateway  arches 58,  121 

Viburnums,  Viburttum 465 

V.  tinus  lauri/olia 465 

V.  awe/uki  {japonic urn) 466 

V.  sinensis 466 

V.  opulus 466 

V.  o.  foliis  variegata 466 

V.  o.  jlore  plena 466 

V.  o.  nana 466 

V.  o.  pygmcea 466 

V.  o.  oxy coccus 466 

V.  lantanoides 467 

V.  cotini/olium  467 

V.  plicatum 467 

V.  macrophyllum 467 

V.  aceri/olium 467 

V.  lentago 467 

V.  pruni/olium 467 

V.  pyri/olium 467 

V.  dentatum 467 

V.  pubescens 468 

V inca 599 

Vines 73,  242,  244,  592 

Vine-bower  Clematis 596 

Virgilia,  Virgilia  lutea 395 

Virginia  Creeper,  Ampelopsis  virginiana. .. 593 

Virginia  Fringe-Tree,  Chionanthus 453 

Virginia  Stuartia 512 

Virgin’s  Bower,  Clematis 595 

V Hex 479 

V.  agnus  castus 479 

V.  a.  latifolia 479 

V.  incisa 479 

V . arborea 480 

Vitis 598 


Wahoo  Elm 

Wales’s  Drooping  Norway  Spruce  Fir 

Walks  and  Roads.  Chap,  x 

Wainut,  Juglans 

Warmth  of  trees 

Washingtonia 

Water  Bitter-nut  Hickory 

Water,  in  ponds  or  in  motion 

Water  Oak 

W ater  White  Oak ...  

Waxberry,  Symphoricarpus 

Waxy-leaved  Privet 

Webb’s  Purple-coned  Silver  Fir 

Weeping  Arbor  Vitae 

Weeping  Ash 

Weeping  Aspen...-. 

Weeping  Beech 

Weeping  Elm  (American) 

Weeping  Elm  (Scamston) 

Weeping  Golden  Ash 

Weeping  Japan  Sophora 


319 


•35° 
.297 
579 
355 
74 
•309 
■ 3°9 
513 
494 
557 

567 

357 
360 
327 
316 

324 

358 
394 


6i8 


Index. 


Weeping  Laburnum 

Weeping  Mountain  Ash  ......  . 

Weeping  Norway  Spruce  Fir 

Weeping  Poplar 

Weeping  Red  Cedar 

Weeping  Scotch  Elm 

Weeping  Scotch  Laburnum 

Weeping  Silver  Fir 

Weeping  White  Linden 

Weeping  Willow 

Weigeia,  Weigeia 

W.  rosea. 

W.  desboisii 

W.  amabilis 

JV.  hortensis  nivea 

W.  variegata 

Wellingtonia 

Western  Nettle 

White  Ash 

White  Beam-leaved  Spiraea 

White  Beech 

White-berried  Waxberry 

White  Birch 

White  Cedar  

White  Cedar  Cypress 

White  Cytissus 

White  Elm 

White-flowering  Dogwood 

White-flowering  Horse  Chestnut 

White-flowered  Weigeia  

White-fruited  Dogwood 

White-leaved  European  Linden. 

White  Lilac 

White  Linden 

White  Maple 

White  Mulberry 

White  Oak  group 


PAGE 

. .448 
■ 431 

• •543 
..360 

• •559 

.•323 

• -449 
••552 

••383 

••387 

. .468 
..468 
. .469 
..469 
..469 

• 469 
••579 

• 423 
••356 
..5» 
..326 
..5i3 
..381 
••559 

• •571 
..482 
..316 

• -433 
••337 
. .469 
••434 

••383 

..461 

••383 

••344 

..418 

• 304 


PACK 

White  Poplar 362 

White  Pine. 515 

White  Tartarian  Honeysuckle 464 

White  variegated-leaved  Maple 347 

White  Vine  Clematis. 595 

White  Willow 389 

Whitewood,  Liriodendro7t  tulipifera 364 

Wild  Olive. . . 486 

Willow,  Salix 386 

Willow  Oak  group  . . 304,  313 

Winter  Flower,  Chimonanthus  fragrans . . . 478 

Wistaria,  Glycine , Wistaria 599 

W.  (G.)  fr-utescens 599 

W.  ( G .)  sinensis 599 

W.  (GO  J.  alba 600 

W.  (G.)  brachybotria 600 

W.  (G.)  b.  rubra 600 

W.  (G.)  magnijica 600 

W.  (G.)  frutescens  alba 600 

Woodbine  Honeysuckle 596 

Wych  Hazel,  Hamatnelis 450 

Wych  Elm,  smooth-leaved 324 

Wych  (Scotch)  Elm  322 

Yellow  Birch 381 

Yellow  Chestnut  Oak.  311 

Yellow-flowered  Honeysuckle 597 

Yellow- flowered  Trumpet-creeper 595 

Yellow  Horse  Chestnut 340 

Yellow  Locust 390 

Yellow  Variegated  Maple 348 

Yew  Family 574 

Taxus , Cephalotaxus , Forreya , and 
Podocarpus. 

Yew-leaved  Torreya 578 

Zeyher’s  Syringa 46s 


i 

■ 


> 


